The Great Jeddie Fanfic
by AdrianIWish
Summary: My name is Jill Mastrano. Well, Mastrano Dragomir. That last word I keep forgetting, Dragomir, changed my life forever. A bit less than a year ago I found out I'm a princess. Since then my life's been a mess. Royalty, dying, Palm Springs, Adrian's thoughts, not to mention my horrible love life. Now things seem to be calming down. But then there's Eddie. The thing is... I love him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! My second story! Still VA/BL, of course. Whoever's reading this probably saw my last one. If you haven't, please do. And review. It's titled Between Bloodlines and The Golden Lily. Sorry, I just couldn't go without this ;)**

**Okay, so I'm sorry if this story has too much Adrian for anyone's taste, but the thing is I can't live without him. And I believe it should be that way, since it's Jill's POV. Yeah, it's a Jeddie story, if the summary hasn't told you that already. So, will they end up together or not? Are they meant to be? Follow the story and see! Muahahaha!**

**This all belongs to Richelle Mead's incredible Vampire Academy and Bloodlines Series. Please, read first, because the story contains a lot of major spoilers. Oh, and could we just pretend the last chapter of Silver Shadows never happened? I know it's hard, but I had this story planned before I read the book or before it even came out. I did, although, include *The Big Thing* from chapter 20.**

**I beg you for reviews! With both stories! I need them, even if completely negative, to be a better writer, to have a strenght and inspiration to keep writing! I need to know if at least someone is reading this! You can post them on Twitter, tag me asv larchi77.**

**I'm sorry for all mistakes and missspelled words, English isn't my first language and I'm still learning. I'll go trough this eventually and try to fix as much as possible, but until then, please accept me being a human being and making mistakes ;)**

**Okay, this AU is probably too long for anyone's taste, sorry about that. I have nothing else to say than – enjoy!**

I should probably be happy about it. It meant I was safe. I could go back to the Court. I was going back to the Court. But for unknown reasons, everytime I thought about leaving Amberwood, something stung in my chest. In the beginning it was horrible. But now, when I thought about it... It was better than the Court. I had friends here. I know, I was being silly. I also had friends at Court. Sydney and Adrian were already there. Was it weird it was probably the only part I was really looking forward to? I knew Adrian was happy he'd see me again too. Sometimes it was really great to have the bond. To know at least someone in the world cared about you when in doubts.  
>I was also going to see Lissa and Christian and Rose and Dimitri... But I didn't know what to think about them anymore. I didn't know if they liked me for real or only because they needed me for the throne. Lissa was my sister! But she never acted like it. Maybe... Maybe that was going to change. I wanted it to. And I liked Christian. He taught me how to fight with magic. I just didn't know what side he was on. Come on, Jill, there are no sides! You're being ridiculous!<br>Rose and Dimitri... I loved them. Okay, I used to. But then I got bound to Adrian when he had the worst relationship with them possible and it kind of all dissappeared. He got over it, but I got a different impression. I couldn't help it.  
>Okay, Angeline was comming too. That was a good thing. But Trey was also comming. I liked him, but it practically meant the same as if Angeline wasn't there. No, worse. It meant they were gonna make out the whole time. And that was... Good for them, but nothing good for me.<br>Okay, Neill. He was never my best friend or something. I mean, I guess he was okay, he was cute and all, but he was also probably gonna be busy with his love life. More specifically: Olive Sinclair. I was the only one single here.  
>Well, of course there was Eddie. He was single too. He was another reason to look forward to my time at Court. Right? He was also the reason I used to pretend I have a crush on Neill. But things were kind of awkward between us since we knew we like eachother.<br>And that kiss. It was... It was... It was... It was all I could ever think about. It was the reason I got up in the morning. It made me want more. I've kissed guys before, but it was different with Eddie. Yeah. Eddie. Since The Kiss happened, he was... He wasn't ignoring me, but... Back when everything was normal between us (even though Adrian claims he had a crush on me before), we had that joke about him being proffesional. I hadn't realised what that really means untill now. And I didn't like it. I just wanted another kiss. Or two or three.  
>So maybe Eddie wasn't exactly another thing to look forward to. But I had to make it such a thing! I really, really liked him. To the point where I could say I loved him. I knew him. We were friends. But this right now was just weird. Sometimes I was just thinking... What are we doing? We liked eachother so much, but still, nothing was happening. Like if everything would froze.<br>Back to the point. Why would I even think about how being back at Court would be? Yup. Lissa changed the law. Yaaay! I think. Sure, I was so happy about not being in life danger or the only thing that held the government together. But I had to leave Amberwood! I still liked St. Vladimir's better. But I spent one of the nicest years of my life here, in Palm Springs. I-  
>"Jill, look what I found!" Angeline yelled. She wasn' that far away, just a few stepps from me, searching trough her closet. She just... Mostly yelled.<br>"What is that?"  
>It was my old diary. Just as I remembered it. It was purple with sparkly pink butterflies. Yeah, pretty girly. I used to be like that.<br>"You didn't read that, did you?" I exclaimed.  
>"Um, no. I'm not that pathetic."<br>I laughed nervously. Maybe she wasn't. But she didn't want to know what I'd do if the situation was opposite. I definetly wouldn't hold back.  
>I pulled the diary away from her and opened it on a random page. I remembered how I always refused to write dates. Even without them I knew this had to be at least a year away.<br>Dear diary. Today I had the worst day ever. In the morning I had magic practise and something went wrong. I ended up completely wet. And then I met Adrian in the hall! He looked like he wanted to burst out laughing and I made a complete fool out of myself!  
>Oh, my god. This was back when I had a crush on Adrian. Thank goodness Angeline didn't read anything. I was so stupid back then.<br>And yet, I kept reading.  
>Of course everyone found it silly that I was wet in class. But I didn't have time to go change until after school. Then, the moment I got out of my dorm, I saw Brett making out with Christine Lazar! I tried to tell Aimee about it, but she didn't believe me. I only tried to help her, but she showed her gratefullness by calling me a jelous bitch.<br>Brett Ozera was my best friend Aimee's boyfriend back then. I actually started to remember that day and it was pretty shitty.  
>And then I saw Adrian kissing Rose in the cafeteria. I mean, I already knew about it, but it stung. Anyway, I just wanna curl up somewhere and go to sleep. Or maybe... Wait. Someone's knocking on the door. I wonder who might that be. After a day like this, it can't be good. Should I even open? Nah, I'm too curious. I hope I don't regret it...<br>Oh, so Adrian already dated Rose. I was getting more and more infromation about the timing.  
>Did I even want to read on? Of course, I've alread been trough it once.<br>Omg, this was the best day of my life! It was Adrian! I'm freaking out! He came in and made me blush like a lobster, but he totally ignored it. Then he said I looked a bit uptight today and started to rubb my shoulders! (sometimes I just don't know what's going on in his head... But I love it!) Then he listened to me go on and on about my best friend's love life for half an hour, looking interested the whole time! And then he said love stinks! I mean, that's tehnically no big deal. But I said yes and he meant Rose and I meant him and we had such connection and I know nothing can happen, but...  
>Okay! I stopped at that. Talking about mood swings. I was totally unbalanced back then.<br>And really, how could I fall for Adrian so bad? Sure, it's possible I only got over it because of the bond. And I knew lots of girls fell for him. They had reasons. He was awesome. Maybe I just knew him too well. Now I knew exactly what was going on in his head. No, I was pretty sure Sydney knew him just as well. I should just see it wasn't meant to be back then.  
>As I browsed trough the diary, I found exactly how could I fall for Adrian so bad. Wow.<br>10 reasons I love Adrian Ivashkov  
>1. He's so hot...<br>Okay, I had to admitt that was pretty much true. But I'd never fall for a guy just because of his looks.  
>2. He says absolutley the cutest things ever, like... omg.<br>That was true too. I still remembered I almost melted at all the things he said to Sydney or how he planned their wedding. How did he manage to do it so fast? I still felt sorry I couldn't attend that, but I was there in my mind the whole time, recieving many weird looks from my friends because of my awws and wows.  
>3. He calls me Jailbait. It's so... I have no words.<br>Yeah, it was pretty sweet, but clearly no reason to be head over heels in love with him. He had nicknames for everyone.  
>4. He's so funny.<br>He did make me laugh many times. But... And then I realised what I was doing. I had no reason to critisize myself so bad. I was just like that with Eddie right now.  
>5. He pretends to be confident, but is really insecure. I just know.<br>How did I know that before the bond? It was true, and I tried to help him get over it the whole time, but Sydney was the only one who really managed that.  
>6. He's so romantic with Rose. I mean, she has no idea...<br>Actually, to think now, I'm pretty sure she did have some ideas. But not the correct ones. I wouldn't call what he did romantic anymore, the better word is... Innaproppriate.  
>7. He actually doesn't treat me like a child.<br>Exept for calling me Jailbait. Come on, how could I ne so stupid? EVERYONE treated me like a child. Until I prooved them differently.  
>8. He can turn bad mood to good just like that.<br>Okay, maybe that was true too. We were friends before and that's how he took it too. I knew that since the first day of being bound to him. I just misunderstood it before.  
>9. You can't not love him.<br>That actually turned to be true for most people.  
>10. He rocks everything. He makes the scent of cigarettes and alcohol hot.<br>And at that point I started to laugh so hard, I recieved a suprised glance from Angeline. And she doesn't get suprised quickly. Except in lack of physical... In lack of fighting.  
>The scent of cigarettes and alcohol will NEVER be hot. How could I like that? Nobody can rock it. I was so happy Adrian stopped all of that shit.<br>"Weren't you suppose to be packing instead of... Nevermind, I'm getting pathetic. Show me watcha laughing at!" she yelled and jumped towards me, pulling the diary away from me. "Never!" I laughed, refusing to show her how embarrassed I'd be if she read anything. She was my friend now, but we weren't that close. We actually started a pretty good fight for the diary. But Angeline was the Dhampir.  
>In the end she was sitting on top on me on her bed, and I couldn't do anything to stop her from reading. Oh, well. There was nothing from now in it. I didn't really care if she knew about Adrian.<br>"Okay, this is the last page..." she said and took a dramatic breath.  
>"Dear diary. Looks like I'm a princess. I was so stupid before. I'm done with this silly stuff." Angeline looked at me dissappointed. "Really? I thought this was gonna be some good, juicy stuff. This? This is boring. Creepy even." I laughed and rolled her from my back. It kind of suprised me how relieved I was.<br>Not for long, it seemed. Eddie entered the room and raced my heartbeat to the point where I almost fainted. Our eyes met and we both immediately looked down. Angeline snorted. Everyone knew what was going on.  
>"Umm... Hi, guys. I... Just wanted to ask if you're ready to go? Cause Mrs. Terwilliger asked me if she could give us the ride a bit sooner," Eddie said.<br>Mrs. Terwilliger was giving us the ride to the airport. Since only Sydney and Adrian had cars and they were both away.  
>"Why? Does she have a date with Wolfe?" I asked. Angeline laughed and even Eddie, who lately attempted to be unnaturaly serious around me, had to smile. His smile lighted up the room.<br>Anyway, we all found our history teacher's love life - or better said romance with a one-eyed self defense instructor - extremly funny. Of course they had me to thank they even knew about it. I only knew because of Adrian.  
>Eddie was about to leave, but he came back from the front door and stopped in front of me. "Jill?" he asked. His eyes were in that warm brown color that lighted me up everytime. It was a bit like chocolate and...<br>"Yeah?" I breathed, not even realising what am I saying. "I, eh, told Micah we were leaving. He said he wants to say goodbye to you in... Person. I don't see a problem, but it's your decision to make."  
>Micah Vallence was my human ex boyfriend and Eddie's (I guess now ex) roomate. As I found out from Adrian, he looked exactly like Eddie's dead best friend Mason. I never knew him. Note to self: find out more about that.<br>I was kind of suprised Eddie even asked. "Sure, Micah's my friend now. You know that. I'm gonna say goodbye to all my friends." Eddie shrugged. He looked a little embarrassed, like he was on the verge of blushing. It was adorable. And I've also seen him blush before. That was just...  
>Man, him embarrassed made me embarrassed. This had to stop. There were those times when I just wanted to go towards him and tell him how the thing was, even though he knew already. I almost did it once or twice. But I always cowed in the last second.<br>So, yeah, I went to say goodbye to Micah. I even gave him a hug. Not because Eddie was there. Not at all. But I wasn't there often. Eddie's room... Eddie's bed... Eddie's bathroom... Eddie's smile...  
>It was pretty hard, actually. Saying goodbye. I loved Micah. He was my friend. We even went to his senior prom together for good old times' sake (Eddie refused to go. I didn't talk to him for a week.). I knew I was going to miss him just as mush as everyone else I already said goodbye to, if not more.<br>And maybe it sounds a bit cocky, but I know it was hard for him too. It was cute how he gave me a brave smile, but his eyes were sad. Maybe a bit dissappointed. He didn't know what our leaving was really about. We were only at Amberwood for a year. He probably thought we were just moving again. And maybe he kind of hoped I had at least a little saying in it and that I'd change my mind.  
>He had no idea.<br>I packed everything before I went to see Micah, so it wasn't a problem that I stopped a few times to say goodbye to other friends. Everyone knew we were leaving.  
>When I was almost already at my dorm door, carying a box of Angeline's stuff she left in Eddie's (and Trey's) room back when they were dating, Kristin Sawyer amd Julia Cavendish stopped me. I remembered them. They were Sydney's friends and really nice. When we roomed together, they used to hang out all the time. Of course, that was before things got complicated. I mean, really complicated.<br>"Hey, Jill," Kristin said. I nodded in response, thinking they'd let me go because of the box. I was wrong.  
>"So, wherever you're going, Sydney's already there for a few months, right?" Julia asked. "Yeah, she is. You know, she was accepted to colidge. The one she wanted to attend most. She already has enough grades, so she decided to leave overnight."<br>That was the story we told everyone. It was very likely, actually. And I knew Sydney would wish it was true. She'd definetly prefer it over some Alchemist prison.  
>"Can you say hi to her from us? And tell her we miss her and wish her good luck in colidge?" Kristin asked me. "Sure," I said and mentally added on the list of greets I had to deliver. I even had a few gifts, like from Brayden, the barista she used to date. Not sure what it was, but the box gave me the feeling it was an engagement ring. As if Adrian didn't hate the guy enough already.<br>Angeline was almost as suprised as I was at how much stuff she had left in the boys' dorm, claiming she didn't even know she owned the half of it. She even pulled out a blue sweater that was definetly not her size. Her face reflected sorrow and shock."Trey's cheating on me!" she announced. I took antoher look at the sweater. I knew Trey'd never do that. "It's mine," I realised. Angeline sighed in relief, but then she gave me a funny look from the side.  
>"I may not be good at math, but I'm not stupid. This would never fit me. It's from Eddie's room, isn't it? Jill, what didn't you tell me?"<br>I ignored the question and folded the sweater to as small as possible, but I still had to sit on my suitcase to close it.  
>"You know... I'm a bit afraid of flying. I flew before, but it was awful," Angeline said. In moments like this I felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault, trapped in another culture with no one on her side. It was either this or living a barbaric life with the Keepers. I think she made the right choice.<br>"I get that. But you were alone back then, weren't you?" I asked. She nodded with anxiety in her eyes. She was clearly having a flashback. A plane can probably be pretty creepy when you're there on your own for the first time, not knowing anything about how it works or how safe you really are.  
>"Well, this time we'll be with you. Everything will be okay," I said with a soothing voice. She gave me a weak smile. But I wasn't as cool as I acted. Angeline might have been afraid of flying, but I was kind of afraid of flying with her. She was stronger than she looked, and I was sitting next to her on the plane. I didn't even dare to think about the metal detector, or what she'd do if they had to search trough her. She once threw a speaker at a guy because he pulled her hand. Not a computer speaker.<br>In the end the waiting became a bit annoying. My feelings were mixed when the guys knocked on our door. I touched every corner of the room I'd never see again with my eyes. From the coffee stain on the wall (Angeline's first day before Sydney got a new room) to the closet that was always too small. I just realised how much I loved this room, no matter how tiny and messy it was.  
>Then something happened that melted my already warmed up heart already. Eddie walked in and gently touched my hand. "Come on, we have to go. I'll miss this place too. Especially how happy you were here. All your smiles and..." He bit his lip. "Let's go." I nodded with a slight hope that things between us were going to get better.<br>The guys already had all their suitcases in Mrs. Terwilliger's car, so they could help carry all of mine and Angeline's. Mostly mine. And I carried too. The car was too small for all of us and our luggage, so she had to drive twice. The guys went first, so we placed ourselves on a bench while waiting, looking as ridiculous as possible with all the suitcases around us.  
>It was June in Palm Springs, a killing weather for a Moroi. As if it wasn't hot already, the sun was shining with its full power. I couldn't take it for very long, which was a shame, because I loved the sun. Except for the obvious.<br>It was really annoying the way my terrible hair was sticking on my forehead all sweaty and nasty. I hated the long brown bird nest even before summer started and I had to start washing it every day for it to look at least decent.  
>"You girls moving somewhere?" a familiar, but unwelcome voice asked. It was Greg Slade, the school's, honestly, #2 athleete and #1 jerk. He probably hoped his comment would insult us and that we were really just going on a holiday. "We actually are moving. News don't reach idiots, do they?" I asked kindly. "It's a good thing you're leaving," he growled and stormed away.<br>Angeline gave me a high five. She didn't like the guys either. He was Trey's biggest rival or something (Trey was the #1 athleete... because Eddie was holding back). And also Slade wasn't very likable.  
>Another idiotic person showed up. Laurel, 'my biggest rival'. At least that's what she thought. I didn't really care. She had a crush on Micah when he started to like me. Lots of unpleasant events followed, including her announcing to the world that I'm a vampire. Luckilly it turned out she was just bluffing. Then Sydney had a 'chatt' with her. It had to be something that freaked poor Laurel out, because ever since she's been acting like my best friend.<br>But she still meant trouble. At least for me. I didn't trust her, but as long as she left me alone...  
>"Hey, Jill!" she started with a voice so sweet it almost gave me diabetes. "Hi, Laurel," said Angeline just as nice. I just nodded in a greet. The poor girl had no idea what Laurel was like. When they met, she was already acting all nice and Angeline was deeply convinced into innocence of our world. She was clearly deluding herself.<br>"So, now that you guys are leaving," Laurel continued, "And your dear sister can't protect you anymore... I can be honest, right? You are the most annoying spoiled little girl I know! And stupid! I mean, you dumped Micah? I don't get you. Anyway, you guys were only together because he was always into charity and stuff. Someone as pale as you would never get a boyfriend. And by the way, don't count on him if you ever come back. I hope you don't, though. But he's mine now!"  
>Angeline was about to get up, but I pulled her down. I didn't mean to stay quiet, though. That bitch's gone too far. "Really, Laurel? If he was that into charity, wouldn't he see how desperat you were for him already? It's been months since I broke up with him. If he's really 'yours', why aren't you with him instead of trying to sell me your lies that I'll never buy? Maybe he's just not into fake hair," I said. The combination of her hair die and exstensions was almost a wig. She was perfect for Slade, actually. Her looks were just as fake as all of his sport trophies. That's why his succes fell so much after Nevermore was shutt.<br>Laurel flipped her hair back in rage and gave me a cold look. Her fingers clenched into fists. I think she was at the point where she'd hapilly add some of my hair into that wig. She'd pull it out with her own hands first, of course.  
>"Yeah? I'm suprised he's into vampire pale complexion, since it's not only last season, it's from 19th century! And neandertale cousin, you're probably going back into some cave where you belong, right? You should really change your shoes by now. Not that I care, but it's not only about how they look - and trust me, they're awful - but you're about to show your toes. And nobody wants to see how much dirt you carry there." Then she turned on her heel (what would I do for her to tripp in that moment) and left before I she could get involved into a real fight. Verbal or physical, both was possible.<br>"That goddamn bitch! I thought she was nice this whole time, but now this?" Angeline exclaimed. She wasn't wrong. I already got used to it, but Laurel had no right to say all those things about her. Angeline had improoved so much lately and gone trough a culture change and everything else that bitch had no idea about...  
>"So, um, how did you know I'm not into fake hair?" Micah asked. I had no idea where he came from, but it pretty much looked like he heard the whole conversation.<br>"I assumed you'd be all over here if you were," I replied. He smiled and I saw Laurel gasp a few feet away. She wasn't very far from us yet and Micah didn't really try to be discret with our conversation.  
>"Actually I have to agree with what Angeline saud earlier. It was really mean what she said about you two."<br>Okay, now he was already trying for her to hear him.  
>Maybe it was mean from me to think so, but when I saw the hurt expression on her face, I couldn't make myself feel sympathy for a hurt girl soul. She made my soul hurt for too many times. And Micah was just telling the truth. I'm sure he had reasons for her to hear him.<br>"Sorry if this came out mean, but she won't leave me alone!" Micah explained quietly.  
>I knew he had a reason.<br>We said goodbye again, but Micah left soon. I started to think to fast, which used to lead into talking too fast, but right now I was too nervous. My hearbeat was rising as one thought hitted my mind again and again: this is going real.  
>Then Mrs. Terwilliger's came into my sight, so I chased the overwhelming thoughts away and focused myself more into the physical work of folding luggage into the car.<br>"So, you're going to the Royal Court, right?" Mrs. Terwilliger asked and pressed the gas in her tiny little beatle. "Yeah," I said. "I can't wait! I mean, our people have prejudgments about the Court and royals and the queen, but as much as I know, this one isn't so bad for them and I don't really belong there anymore and from what I'd heard, the Court is a great place and now I'll be living there! I can't believe it!" Angeline shrieked.  
>Maybe she spent too much time with me. I talk like that sometimes. I kind of suspect it's annoying, even though some people say it's cute.<br>However, Angeline was turning into a modern, teenagy and girly girl. Thanks to me, I dare say.  
>Mrs. Terwilliger smiled. It wasn't one of those polite smiles when people really think what the... She wasn't that kind of a person. Most of the students thought she was weird, but I knew better than that. She was more than weird. She was a witch. Well. A Moroi princess probably doesn't have the right to say that.<br>"Could you please give this to Sydney? And tell her and Adrian I say hi and wish them good luck," he said and passed me a book so old it looked like it was about to fall apart. I swear, sometimes it was like Sydney was the only person in our 'family'.  
>"Sure," I sighed.<br>We arrived after ten or fifteen minutes. The guys were sitting on a bench with our plane tickets, looking slightly bored. That would never happen to me. I'd just talk.  
>Neill jumped up towards the car and opened first the car door on my side, making Eddie and Trey stare blankly at him in suprise. He was always a gentleman. I gave Eddie a naughty glance and sweetly looked at Neill, thanking him politely. Then I realised I was acting just like before The Kiss (that's how I'm gonna call it) happened.<br>Neill also hurried up towards Angeline's side of the car to open her door too, but she was already out, loking at him like she'd slamm the door on his hand if he tried. "I can get out of a car alone, thanks," she said and smiled trough her teeth.  
>"Someone's a bit grumpy," I muttered.<br>While waiting for boarding a bit later, I recieved a text from Adrian.  
><em>You sitting with Castile on the plane? *love is in the air*<em>  
>I laughed, kind of happy to hear from him, even though it used to annoy me when he teased like that. I only knew he was extremly happy recently, but every time the bond was connecting well, was when he was making out with Sydney, making it impossible to contact him. We had a few phone calls, just to catch up, but we didn't talk for real like we used to. The distance was making it hard. I missed him and I knew he missed me too, even though everything else in his life turned right recently. Now I was comming too, and his calmness gave me more time to focus on my own problems. Especially the love related ones.<br>_Haha, very funny. Actually, I'm sitting with Angeline._  
>We discussed our seats the moment we got the tickets.<br>Adrian's response came remarakbly fast: _And...? There's a seat on each side. Are you the lucky one by the window?_  
>That was actually Trey.<br>_No, I'm by the transition_, I answered.  
>So? Who's on the other side?<br>I didn't answer immediately. I knew he'd guess.  
><em>It's Castile, isn't it?<em>  
>And he did.<br>_Fine, it's him. But that doesn't count. Can we change the subject? I have other things to worry about, like Angeline's finger strenght when the plane rises._  
>I was pretty sure she was going to grabb my hand.<br>_The gap between your souls is as wide as the transition between your seats was the answer_. I snorted. Usually that kind of nonsense came from spirit and made me worried, but this time I knew he was just messing with me.  
>Another text came in a few seconds: <em>You're not together now, are you?<em>  
><em>No, I'd let you know<em>, I replied.  
><em>R.I.P. your finger bones<em>, he wrote then. I had to laugh at that, even though it was probably true. Unfortunately._ You can still save them when we get there._  
><em>Saving the day, as always<em>, he answered. I smiled.  
>Then they called us to board.<br>_The boarding's starting_, I wrote.  
><em>See you in six hours<em>, he replied. I smiled and switched my phone to airplane mode.  
>We soon found our seats and tightened our seatblets. Angeline was exhaling loudly by some pregnancyyoga methode to relax. I was smiling to myself. Then I realised I was automatically glancing at Eddie to see if he smiled too. He didn't, but he was watching me. We both looked away immediately and I saw Angeline's new methode of relaxing was making out with Trey.  
>Huh. The kissing I've been trough wasn't very relaxing. It was actually nothing or very, very exciting. Or, with Eddie, the highlight of my life.<br>I wished I'd be trough enough kissing with him for it to make me relax or to heat me up. Well, the last one already happened. Sometimes I regretted there were people around when it happened, because from what I felt and the exact same desire reflecting in his eyes, a lot more would happen if we were alone. And maybe I wanted more to happen. Not exactly yet, but I at least wanted a chance to get there some day.  
>The flight attendant told us her usual speech about her great crew and putting our phones to airplane mode. Then the plane moved. Angeline was already holding Trey's hand, but now her fingers clenched tightly around my hand too. "Don't worry, it'll be over efore you know it," I said. She just moaned.<br>I looked trough the window and watched Palm Springs over Trey's hair becoming smaller and smaller, until it completely dissapeared out of my sight. I was almost sure I'd never go there again. At least for a pretty long time.  
>A tear slidd down my cheek, but I harshly wiped it away. It wasn't suppose to sting so much. Then more tears bursted out and I almost sobbed out loud.<br>The flight attendant announced that we can untight our seatbelts. I did it immediately and ran into the toilet. Fortunately it wasn't taken. I was in there for a while. It didn't smell very nice, but I had no other choice until the tears stopped.  
>I couldn't let them see me cry. I didn't want them to think I was acting silly, even though I probably was. I didn't want Eddie to think I was just a spoiled little princess, crying because she couldn't get everything she wanted. I was pretty sure I wasn't. He probably wouldn't think so either, but I didn't want him to think my feelings for him were just as silly and meaningless as I was acting right now. They weren't.<br>I heard loud knocking on the door after a few minutes, but I didn't respond. I was trying to clean my face with thin paper towels and most likely not very clean water. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing makeup.  
>"Excuse me? Do you mind? You're not the only person on the plane, you know!" a female voice yelled. I looked myself in the mirror for the last time - the stains tears left were still visible on my cheeks and my eyes were red and swollen from crying - and unlocked the door. An unpleased woman in her thirties with a daughter only two or three years old was standing outside. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. The little girl looked at me with big brown eyes that almost brought me back to tears. The woman's expression softened when she saw my face.<br>I hurried back to my seat, recieving a suprised and worried glance from Eddie. "You okay?" he asked. I exhaled and nodded.  
>Angeline was asleep with her head on his shoulder. His arm was around her waist and I couldn't help it but glamce at Eddie with a longing look. He was looking down at his feet, obviously lost in thoughts. Then his look hit mine. We both turned around right away again.<br>A few minutes later I saw him talking to Neill. They both had ridiculously serious faces on and something told me they were talking about me. What else could they possibly be talking about? Except for the fact that they were both guardians and all that includes, they didn't have a single thing in common. And they were both my guardians. Well, they could be talking about something like food, but they'd probably be in a better mood.  
>Eddie nodded and said something, running his fingers trough his sandy blond hair that was always lying on his forehead in a perfect messy way that made it obvious he didn't spend a second dealing with it. His eyebrows were furrowed above his amazing brown eyes that were expressing a worried look. Even with such a twisted expression he was so...<br>And then I realised I'm watching him again. I looked away.  
>Angeline was still asleep. I spent the night lying in bed awake and a few rough days were probably in front of me, so it would be a good idea to have a nap. But I was restless. Excitment in me was growing. Palm Springs was behind me and I was starting to feel some of the greatness that going to Court always brought.<br>I still remembered the first time. My life became a mess. I found out I'm a princess, then Victor Dashkov kidnapped me, then I saw him die and then Adrian showed up. It was when I had a crush on him. Like I wasn't stressed enough already. I was as nervous as hell. But I was going to the Court! I can't say I didn't get Angeline.  
>Maybe I couldn't sleep, but I did close my eyes and escaped the stupid thoughts. It was one of the rare moments I didn't feel much.<br>As a result, I got sucked into Adrian's head. It was one of those times when it felt like I was him. I was looking trough his eyes and feeling his emotions. Sometimes the line between us blurred and I didn't even feel myself for a while.  
>Not this time, though. The feeling that you're kissing your 'sister' kind of numbs the effect. Like in the last few times.<br>"We should get dressed, you know. They're landing in an hour," Sydney breathed while Adrian was kissing her neck. "Nah, we have enough time. Especially if we get dressed as fast as we get undressed."  
>They weren't completely undressed yet, but it was pretty obvious they were about to be. And that wasn't exactly what I wanted to see. Again.<br>I tried to leave Adrian's head and after a minute or two managed to get into some kind of blessed state, in which I didn't see or clearly feel what was going on in their room, but his intense emotions were still getting to me. It felt so nice, peacefull and fierce at the same time. Except for witnessing it all, it was great how happy he was. I was pretty sure this was how drugs felt.  
>And then I smelled something that woke me up from the great feeling. Food. I haven't ate a thing for the whole day, and suddenly I was hungry. There was a knot in my stomach from all the anxiety, but by now I was craving for food. It had to be about 5 or 6 pm. The problem was I didn't have much money near me. The flight attendant already went down the hall, but I knew she was comming back soon.<br>"Eddie? You got any money? I'm broke right now!" I said loudly, leaning forward to his seat with my hair all over my face. I quickly stuck it behind my ear.  
>"Sure," he replied, seizing for his wallat. He knew I'd return his money. I always did. He was just the thoughtfull one, always having everything he needed around. Or everything I needed.<br>He passed me ten bucks and I thanked him with a smile. I ordered a sandwich and quickly finished it. Then the pilot told us to tighten our seatblets again.  
>"Oh, no! We're crashing! We're all gonna die!" Angeline screamed and reached under the seat for the life jacket. "I can't find it!"<br>I held her hand and looked into her blue eyes. "We're not crashing. We're just about to land," I said with a soothing voice.  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"Yes, I'm sure. Look, everyone else is calm. They wouldn't be if we were crashing."  
>They weren't really that calm. They were starting to stare at us.<br>"But... Why would they tell us to tighten our seatbelts otherwise?"  
>I desperately looked at Trey for help. Maybe he wasn't Neill, but he was man enough to take it from there. Anyhow, by the time the plane touched the ground in Pittsburgh, she was calm. As calm as she gets.<br>We left down the stairs and waited for our luggage. But the traveling wasn't over yet. We had to change to another plane. It was a private one and Lissa sent it just for us. The public ones didn't have access to the Court's airport. We only had a twenty minute filght in front of us.  
>And really, it wasn't long until the familliar victorian church-like buildings came into my sight. They were glorious, built in a historical, but suprisingly modern way. It was like a small city, full of official buildings for councill bussiness, but also many shops and restaurants and other luxury options for visiting tourists and royals with nothing better to do. That's what I'm going to be from now, I realised.<br>It was also the queen's residence and the place where all the laws were accepted. Where our faith and future were discussed every day. Wrapped in the protection of the guardians, looking as safe as possible, but full of secrets and intrigues. Hidden in the shelter of the green Pennsylvania woods, looking so calm, but really restless. There was aways something going on. I've experienced it myself before. It was magnificent. It wasn its own little world. Moroi Royal Court.  
>I could already see the airport. Our seats were shaking when we were landing nad Angeline held mine and Trey's hand again.<br>I looked at Eddie and smiled. He smiled too. We were the only ones here who knew what we were diving into. We've been trough it before. Except that the faith of Lissa's throne wasn't on me anymore. Not like the last time I came.  
>The knot in my stomach was bigger than ever when we walked trough the airport lobby. Then excitment and happiness hit me stronger than ever before. Joy was floating trough my every vene. It wasn't mine, but it spread quickly. And then a smile played on my lips too. I couldn't be sad in that moment. I ran so fast it felt like flying, straight into Adrian's embrace. He hugged me tightly and even lifted me and spunn me around. We were both so happy in that moment. I missed him even more than I thought and tears almost won me over again. Words weren't neccessary.<br>It only took a minute or two for me to notice the others. I was so happy all the doubts and second thoughts from before became history. I hugged Sydney next, probably because she was standing right next to Adrian. Her eyes were shining and her smile was almost bigger than her face.  
>"I'm so glad you're safe," I said. "I'm so glad you're back," she replied and paused for a second. "And... I'm sorry for everything you've been trough because of me. Thank you, I'd still be there if it wasn't for you. All of you." My heart was starting to melt. "You should see everything I have for you from Amberwood," I said, but my voice was kind of shaking.<br>Rose was the next one and when I saw her there with a smile as honest as Sydney's or Adrian's, I couldn't help but feel the admiration for her I used to when we first met. I wanted to be just like her. She was like a super star. Now she was also my friend.  
>Then I hugged Dimitri. It wasn't even uncomfterable. I got to know him better while he was in Palm Springs, even though Adrian's attitude for him prevented it a little bit.<br>Christian came next with the ordinary sarcastic grinn on his face. He used to teach me fighting with magic and I almost already forgot how awesome he was. "I missed you, you idiot," I said and hugged him. His grinn widened.  
>Lissa was standing there last. Nothing was holding me back from her anymore, no hard feelings. It was impressive that she, even as the Queen, she had no other guardians with her beside Rose and Dimitri.<br>I hugged her. She looked starteled, maybe even touched, but she returned my hug. And ut was just slightly awkward.  
>Everyone helped to carry our bags and Adrian pulled me forward. "So, how was..." He stopped and studied my face closely. "You cried. What happened?" he asked. Damn it! The stains of tears were still there for sure.<br>"Oh. That. You know, it gets to you a little when a part of your life ends right on front of you."  
>Adrian smiled and the feelings comming from him told me he really did know.<br>"Well then," he said. "Welcome back to the Court."

**I really, really hope you liked this. Please let me know if you did or if you didn't. I do not know whne will I update, but I hope soon. Bye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! After too long, almost a month, I am back with a new chapter. And it's a long one, which is porbably the reason it took me so long. Thank you for both reviews and all the follows, please, continue to do so! I have to say that I own nothing, I'm sorry for mistakes and THERE ARE SPOILERS. And please tell me what you think about what i idi with the Alchemists. Is it believable? Please, read – and review!**

After all the baggs were taken to my room (the same one as before Palm Springs, which I loved, since it had a view) in guest housing, where I'd be staying for a while - I figured for a few weeks or at least until I find out what was gonna happen to me now - we went out for dinner to celebrate us all being safe and sound. And to catch up.  
>We ordered enough food for the whole day for all of us. But it wasn't just the quantity of it that kept us eating for four hours. We had a lot to talk about.<br>The only thing that just slightly annoyed me was everyone constantly mentioning me and Eddie as if we were already together. Actually, the only part I minded was that it wasn't true. Yet.  
>"You two? Really? That is so sweet! How didn't I think about it? It's obvious! I'm getting blind. First Sydney and Adrian, now you..." Rose said and shook her head. Then she hugged both of us around our shoulders and pulled us closer to eachother.<br>"Rose!" I exclaimed. I felt all of my blood rushing into my head and I was pretty sure my face was lobster red. It used to happen a lot. Nothing's changed.  
>Rose smiled and let us go. I looked at Eddie. His eyebrows were raised and there was a suprised smile on his face. But he didn't look disgusted or terrified (I've been told that he likes me too, it was probably true, but it was nice to have a proof every once in a while). Just a bit shocked. He shouldn't be. We all knew Rose was a direct person.<br>While we were already having dessert, I realised there was a person who did almost everything for me to come back, no matter what it meant for the world, no matter how hard it was. And no matter how hard it made it for me to leave, no matter the doubts I used to have about our relationship, I had to thank her. It wasn't a real problem. I really was gratefull.  
>"Lissa?" I asked, trying to get her attention. She looked at me with interest and smiled. "What's up?"<br>"Um... Thank you. For everything you've done for me. For changing the law. I know it took a lot of work and that it wasn't easy. I mean, I'm sure you wanted a stable throne, not one that relies on my life, but you're still the one who made it possible for me to be here again. So. Thanks. I'm really gratefull," I said. I started to bable about stuff without breathing in for an annoyingly long time again. One more thing that hasn't changed. I felt ridiculous.  
>Lissa smiled a bit suprised. Then she held my hand. "Anytime," she said.<br>After dinner I should probably unpack my stuff. But I was a bit too tired to move. And the day on vampire schedule I lived by now (I guess) has just began. The dinner was actually breakfast for my friends.  
>I went to Adrian and Sydney's room. His mom wasn't staying with them anymore. She already found herself a small apartment for a new life to live. I was really happy she made that decision, because her husbandAdrian's dad was... The biggest jerk ever.  
>Of course I didn't know both of them that well personally. I knew what I knew from Adrian.<br>I didn't seem to be the only one who hasn't unpacked yet. There were bags and suitcases everywhere. But I wasn't here for a few weeks yet. Of course I didn't mind.  
>"Oh, I'm sorry about the mess. Those idiots decided to return my stuff from Palm Springs just yesterday," Sydney said.<br>By 'those idiots' she meant the Alchemists. A few of them came a day after she left. Zoe packed all her clothes and other belongings before. I managed to save her box with magic props so that the Alchemist wouldn't find out about her being a witch. I guess it had to happen, athough.  
>I really had to try to get the box. Angeline and Eddie helped me, but it was my idea. We asked her for help with our math homework. Angeline distacted her and took her to our room while I pretended to go to the bathroom, but really searched for the box under Sydney's bed. Then I threw it to Eddie trough the window. A couple of stuff broke, but it was better than Zoe finding it.<br>After Sydney ran away from re-education, we didn't hear another word from Zoe. She dissappeared over night. Like Sydney was probably suppose to, but didn't because we all knew what was about to happen. And because Eddie was there.  
>And the final conclusion of the Sage Drama Saga was that Stanton woman I never liked comming to the Court with a white flagg. Litterally. She obviously thoughts we're still in medeival.<br>Anyhow, she officially and very loudly fired Sydney from the Alchemists, saying she'd never want someone as "infectuos with darkness and poisoning" as one of the Alchemists. Her words exactly. So Sydney became the first known Alchemist to be fired.  
>But Adrian and Sydney were still both worried we haven't seen the last of the Sage family yet. They talked about it a lot and they were right. Alchemists don't just break centuries old tradicions overnight. I thought they should enjoy what they had while it lasted. I mean, at least she had her clothes back.<br>Which returend me back to the present. Sydney was looking at me with an apologetic look. "Oh, come on! It's me! After everything we've been trough, and you apologize?" I laughed. Eddie smiled next to me. He was there, of course.  
>Sydney started to make coffee. I think she'd probably make it even if we weren't there, looking like we're about to fall asleep.<br>Although if I looked closely, Eddie seemed wide awake. Almost hiperactive. Even inside, his look was all over the room, like a bunch of Strigoi were about to jump out of a corner. Well, he was always like that. We didn't expect the assassins that night, but this was still a bit too much, if you asked me. I should probably be happy I had such a dedicated guardian.  
>Sydney put a mug of coffee in front of us both and also took one for herself. I knew she would.<br>I never was and never will be a big fan of coffee, but I gladly drank this one. I needed it to stay awake for at least a little while.  
>Sydney's face, on the other hand, was almost blissful. I wouldn't know that myself, but Adrian was looking at her with admiration, almost with awe. Even feeling all of his burning emotions, I couldn't understand what was so magnificent on her drinking coffee.<br>Adrian's reaction on Sydney's reaction on coffee reminded me of Brayden, the unfortunate barista. It was well known by now that what Sydney liked about him the most was the cent he possesed from working in a coffee shop. We all needed months to remember his name. Then I thought of the ring box and all the other gifts I had for her.  
>"Oh, Sydney, I have tons of stuff to give you. And ten thousand people say hi to both of you. Like Mrs. Terwilliger, Micah, Rowena, Kristin, Julia... and Brayden." Sydney snorted and Adrian's eyes widened. "Brayden? He still exists? Honestly, I thought it was Hayden untill you mentioned him," he said.<br>But he knew his name very well. Actually, Adrian was worried because of him. He considered him as conpetition with Sydney. Especially after he heard he was writing poems about her.  
>"Yeah, Brayden. He even sent her a gift. I have it. I'll go get it..." I yawned, "Tommorrow."<br>Then I just listened them talk for a while, leaning my head on Adrian's shoulder. I had that cosy, warm feeling, the one that make me feel at home. The way I only felt in Detroit in my mom's house when I was a little child.  
>Now I felt just as great. My brain was starting to turn off and soon the voices around me were starting to fade as I lost myself in dreams.<br>Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours until I felt strong arms wrapp around me and swing me on their chest. The arms carried me trough the halls, but my eyelids were too heavy and my mind too blurry to find out what was going on around me. I only realised the arms felt exactly like Eddie's did whenever I dreamed about him. Maybe I was dreaming in that moment.  
>When I woke up the next morning, the night's events were just a fading memory, but I still had a feeling Eddie had something to do with me waking up in my room two floors away from Adrian's, on my bed, wrapped into a warm blankett. I was still in my clothes, though.<br>What I always loved about this room was the magnificent view out the window, which was, how convenient, right next to my bed. It was what distracted me from my thoughts. It was early human morning, Moroi evening. I slept trough the whole day. I had no idea how to ever get used to this schedule. It might be better to sleep trough the whole night too.  
>There was a gorgeous bright green meadow right under my window. You could see a few edges of a parking lot on the left, but there was a glittery turquoise river on the right with a small waterfall just far enough to stay in my sight.<br>The sun was just rising, leaving a golden reflection on the water and there was a light morning mist above it. The woods on the other bank left a misterious taste to the whole picture. It was magnificent, and not only because I loved water.  
>I teared my look away from the window, reminding myself I'd be able to see such a view every day from now on. So I stumbled on my feet, feeling a bit dizzy. I moaned. My eyes were all swollen and probably red from sleeping and surely my hair was all over the place.<br>Cold chills ran over me when I kicked the bed cover off of me, so I quickly wrapped it around myself again. Then I ran from the warm orange carpet towards the door. My bare feet were cold, so another carpet in the living room - actually room room, since it was the only room besides my room and bathroom - felt nice.  
>Eddie was asleep on the couch. There was no doubt he'd been up all the time I was asleep, checking the surroundings, even though he didn't have to.<br>I didn't want to wake him up, so I tip-toed to the nearest suitcase that I knew contained clothes. I needed fresh ones, since the ones I was wearing were all wrinkled up. I pulled out the tank top and shorts that were on the top.  
>I also needed pyjamas and underwear. But that was in another suitcase. So I ran on the other side of the room and took what I needed quickly.<br>I hurried over to the bathroom. I was already holding the door knob, but then the right of my two left feet went too right, making me stumble. I caught my balance, but accidentally slightly slammed the door.  
>I heard a noise that sounded like two feet landing on the floor. I turned around. Eddie was looking at me confused, all of his instincts suddenly awake. He jumped over the couch, clearly not recodnising me immediately. I was startled, unable to move until he was standing right in front of me, ready to ripp my head off or whatever. He'd attack me to protect... Me.<br>"Eddie, for God's sake, it's me!" I exclaimed. He froze and studied me for what felt like hours. His eyes were all blurry in an adorable way and his hair was messier than usual, sticking everywhere prooving the couch wasn't the best place to sleep. He opened his mouth and closed it again.  
>"Wait. What just happened?" he asked. His voice was sleepy and it made him look lost and confused. Hot.<br>I shrugged. "I guess you thought I was attacking myself because your feet was working and your brain wasn't yet. You were asleep a minute ago. By the way, how on Earth did you wake up so fast? I was trying not to wake you up, sorry," I explained.  
>"Damn it, Jill, I almost killed you! I was suppose to protect you, not... I'm such and idiot!"<br>I rolled my eyes.  
>"You did not almost kill me. We had self defense classes. You'd realise I'm incapable to defend myself and leave me alone. And you were half asleep! You cannot possibly blame yourself for what just happened. And by the way, what just happened was nothing."<br>He held my hands and looked me in the eyes with a desperat look. I shivered. My heart raced up and my knees went week. I melted in his eyes. I'd fall if he wasn't holding me.  
>"I fell asleep! I let myself fall asleep! And right now, I lost controll of myself! What kind of guardian am I? And you shouldn't be so gentle with me! Wake me up the next time, it's my job to protect you!" he exclaimed, shaking my wrists in his hands.<br>I sighed. "Come on! You gotta sleep! You're a person, not a robot! That's why I need you next to me! If I wanted a fighting security camera, I'd get one!"  
>I saw a hint of a smile glitter in his eyes, but then some dark thoughts hit him again and the spark dissappeared. "Jill, you know what being a guardian means! I have no time for a personal life!"<br>Okay, now I was mad. "Well, that's why I have three fucking guardians and the whole Royal Army on my side! And as far as I recall, you're my guardian. You do what I tell you. And I never tell you to do anything. Now I'm telling you this: stop blaming yourself for everything. There are some things you just can't affect. You gotta deal with it."  
>He was about to say something, but then he looked down and noticed he was still holding my hands. When his gaze returned to mine, his eyes were burning. I was still heated up from the mad splash of words I gave him before and in that moment the tension between us was unbareble.<br>I pulled my hands out of his. Then I held his head and stepped on my fingers to kiss him. Our first kiss seemed amazing up to that moment, but now I suddenly experienced everything I only felt trough the bond before.  
>Eddie didn't seem suprised this time. His body was supple and ready for mine. He returned the kiss and it was the first time in a while I felt he was completely relaxed. The tension was gone and we were one for a second.<br>His hands slidd from my back on my hips and got tangled in my hair by the way. His touches burned on my skin so much, I was sure they were gonna leave fingerprints.  
>But whatever passion was heating up the room before, it dissappeared in a second. Eddie dropped me and stepped back. We were both gasping for air.<br>"See? I lost controll again! I shouldn't be doing this!" he shouted. I groaned. "Come on, it's love! It's not forbidden!" He opened his mouth to deny it again, but I stopped him: "You know what? Don't say anything at all. Gimme a break."  
>I stormed out of the room into the bathroom and slammed the door, feeling horrible. When will he see it?<br>I heard a knock on the door right when I was finished with my hair and clothes. It was Neil. "Hey. My turn. You can't work day and night," he told Eddie, who shook his head. "No, I..." he started, but I stopped him: "Go."  
>Such a short sentance, but I saw the way it affected him. He looked down, but my cold look didn't move from his gaze. After a few seconds of silence he left quietly.<br>"What was that all about?" Neil asked shocked after Eddie closed the door. "I... Nothing," I sighed. If it was Angeline, I'd never get a break from her. But it was Neil. "I... I'm sorry. Your bussiness," he stuttered.  
>A small smile played on my lips. A few minutes ago I told Eddie to do what I say. Neill was the only one of my guardians taking me as actual authority. But I can't say I exactly loved it. He called me princess for two months before I managed to teach him people are on first name bases with their guardians.<br>"Hey, I don't really know what to do with myself today. It's, what, Moroi 6 pm? I can't sleep, I'm too rested, but if I stay up all night/day, I'll never get used to it," I said.  
>Neil smiled. "I know what you mean. I reccomend getting something to eat and then going to bed. You're probably not gonna fall asleep immediately - or not at all - but you're gonna be at least a bit rested in the morning. And it'll be easy to go to bed in the evening."<br>I nodded. "You're right." Were we really talking about sleep?  
>"Hey, could you help me carry some stuff to Sydney and Adrian's before we eat?" I asked. "Sure," Neill said. So we picked everything up (most of the stuff was Mrs. Terwilliger's magic stuff anyway) and carried it down the stairs.<br>I couldn't help but realise Eddie carried me all the way we were walking, except in the opposite way. Which made it even harder. I... I couldn't stay mad at him. But it still wasn't a very nice feeling, knowing we had a fight.  
>It was very likely he was training in that moment. I already learned that about him.<br>Training was something guardians had to take care of themselves. There were gyms in all places Moroi and Dhampires lived, but they scheduled fight practise on their own. All that mattered was that they were always in physical condition good enough to protect their charge.  
>Well, Eddie did that almost every time he wasn't protecting me. Even in the Amberwood gym. He did it especially when he felt guilty about not being a good enough guardian. I made him feel that way this time, and it made me feel guilty. I didn't want to fight.<br>One of the good/bad sides of the bond was that Adrian also felt me whenever I was near him. Or maybe it was because he saw my aura from the distance. I never really understood completely, I just knew he expected me.  
>However, he already opened the door by the tike Neill and I got there. And of course I knew he'd be waiting for us. Sometimes it really was like some kind of twisted bothsided telephaty.<br>Adrian was looking into my eyes with the look that used to make my knees weak. I knew he was searching trough my soul the way only spirit users could.  
>"Here's the stuff I was talking about yesterday," I said like it wasn't obvious. "Oh, thanks," he said. I distracted him for a while.<br>Sydney was unpacking her clothes. Her eyes widened when she saw everything we brought. "Who's that from?" she asked. "Um... Most of it is from Mrs. Terwilliger, but the ring box is from, erm, Brayden."  
>Adrian gasped and Sydney bursted out laughing. "Are... Are you sure it's a... ring... box?" Adrian asked completely shock. I sensed a dash of panic in him.<br>"Gimme that," Sydney snorted. "Even if it's a ring, that place's already taken." She touched the finger with her wedding ring gently. Adrian exhaled relieved. She smiled and so did I. Who would've thought he was so insecure.  
>Sydney finally opened the box and we all crouded around her anxious. She laughed even louder than before. There were two coffee-cup-shaped earings in it. Adrian raised his eyebrows with a smile and even Neill laughed a bit.<br>It was pretty funny. But was I the only one who thought he had at least a bit of a reason to give her something like that? Like her coffee obsession?  
>"Well, it is kinda sweet. I guess that's how he remembered me," Sydney smiled.<br>Okay, I was right.  
>"So, the rest are pretty much just magical props and a few cards from people at school. And some gifts from the guys who tried to ask you out but you said no. Oh, and Kristin, Julia, Micah, Laurel, I mean, she never canceled it, Trey, no, Trey's here, that was just for an email... And Mrs. Terwilliger and Rowena and Cassie say hi. To both of you," I told them.<br>"Really? All of those people?" Adrian asked. Sydney smiled and held his hand. They started to make out right in front of us. I snorted and dragged Neill away. The 12+ scenes were already breaking into my mind and I was tripping a bit on the stairs.  
>In a few seconds Adrian came running after me. "Hey, you, wait!" he said. I stopped and let him catch us. "Sorry about before. I got distracted. Very distracted." I shook my head. "You don't have to apologize. You know I don't mind that." He grinned. "I know. That's not why I'm here. You distracted me too before. You know I get disracted when I'm happy. Or whenever," he said with a fake angry look.<br>I smiled, even though I knew exactly what he was about to say and was a bit nervous and ready to change the subject again. "What's up?"  
>"Something's wrong."<br>I frowned. "No, it's not. Nothing's wrong."  
>"Yeah, it is. All that acting you do with other people? Not working on me. I see auras, remember?"<br>I sighed. "I said nothing was wrong. I'm fine."  
>Adrian tilted his head on the side and raised an eyebrow. "You know, even if I wouldn't know what people feel, I'm not blind. And I bet it's Eddie."<br>I rolled my eyes, even though it was true.  
>"Not every single problem in my life is about him!"<br>Adrian smirked.  
>"I knew there was a problem."<br>Damn it, I thought.  
>"And it's Eddie too, isn't it?" he asked. "Yeah," I moaned and threw myself on his chest. He hugged me with a sigh.<br>"Oh, Jailbait, what did he do?"  
>"He? Nothing. Not really. It was me. I kissed him. Again. And then he left. Again. Well, I kind of kicked him out. But still."<br>Adrian let me go and held me in the distance of his arms. "Again?" he asked. I nodded.  
>"It's just... The first time he said he was gonna think about it. Then nothing happened. I thought it was just because of all the drama that was going on, but now he went on and on about how he lost controll... He never had the intention to be with me," I almost cried.<br>"Nope. That is in no way true. He wants to resist it, but he can't. It'll win over him. He loves you. The situation's almost the same as it was with me and Sydney. Except that there's no crazy secret organisation holding him back. Just the walls he built around himself. But nothing can hold what's between the two of you."  
>I hugged him again. No matter what games he liked to play with people, this was important for me and he knew it. He was there for me. I wanted to tell him how much I appreciate it, but I didn't have the words for it. The honesty vibrating from him trough the bond told me I didn't need them. He meant every word he said. I just had to wait to see if he was right. "I really hope so."<br>Then I decided to finally save Neill from the sentimental bullshit he had to witness and go to dinner. It turned out he wasn't even listening to the conversation. He stood by the window with a straight expression on his face, his eyes all over the place, looking for potential danger. Just like Eddie.  
>"Come on, let's go," I told him. I headed down the stairs, but he caught me before I got to the ground floor with his long stepps.<br>We had dinner in the cafeteria near the Royal Palace, where we always had meals. It was very handy, since it was open 24/7 and had all kinds of food, almost everything you wanted. Neil took scrambled eggs and I just had a sandwich.  
>I wasn't very hungry. Also I've only been awake for a few hours, but I could already use some sleep.. I haven't had blood in ages. I should probably go to the feeders'.<br>Nah. It was too late. It would give me too much energy to sleep. I decided to go in the morning.  
>Neil of course put my sandwich on his tray and carried everything towards a random table. It was so depressing that he looked in more controll with his body than I did, even carrying a tray. Like he had nothing in his hands. Like all the guardians. And then there was me. A clutz. Or maybe a zombie.<br>I was just about to sit down when I noticed Eddie on the other side of the room, eating on his own, wearing a lonely expression. How on Earth was it possible he was having dinner just the time I was?  
>Neil followed my look and noticed him too. "Are we going there?" he asked. I shrugged and nodded. I couldn't just leave him there alone. I didn't even want to.<br>"Hey," I said when I sat in front of him. He looked at us. His eyes were wide, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. He didn't expect me to join him. He thought I was still upset. I kind of was, but I decided to pretend nothing happened.  
>The look on his face, one of the rare times I broke trough him a bit because he was suprised, reminded me of the kiss again. I felt shimmers down my spine as the memory ran trough me. I wanted to feel his hands, his lips, his passion again.<br>"Hey," he replied and smiled for real now. His lips curled up in the perfect way I knew so well and the suprise from a few seconds ago was forgotten. I didn't like the way he was always holding back his emotions. He never hidd them completely, I could still see a glimpse of what he felt, but he had - no matter what he claimed - too much self control for his own good.  
>Did I really want to sit and wait for him to change his mind? I thought of the kiss again. Yes. I did. It was worth it.<br>I ate my sandwich in a few minutes and then waited for the guys. Eddie also had a full tray, which reminded me of Amberwood, where he used to eat most of Sydney's breakfast besides his own.  
>"Oh! I still owe you for the plane!" I told Eddie. I reached for my wallat, but he shook his head. "Keep it. I'm getting a paycheck. My job includes protecting you from passing out."<br>"I wouldn't pass out! I have too much money on the royal credit card already. I can manage paying for my own food and yours if you want me to," I said, hoping I look insulted, even though I was about to smile.  
>"Yeah? Cause honestly, you don't look like you ate enough today. Your first meal? You kinda picked a small one," he said. I snorted. "Seriously? I am trying to give you cash! And you refuse? Should I be insulted? Should I laugh? You're not making this easy for me!" I exclaimed with a playfull frown. But his expression darkened and something weird was in his eyes. Some kind of shock. And then I realised I probably wasn't talking only about money.<br>"Here," I said and pushed 10 bucks down the table towards them. He hesitatingly took them after a few seconds of my encouraging-to-forcing looks.  
>Tourturing silence lay between us. Only Neill soothed it a few times with his fork hitting the plate. He had no idea what was going on.<br>I saw Eddie's muscles move when he ate. I studied every single one of his moves, and they all seemed gorgeous. Even eating, he was still studying the room. I looked down every time his gaze stopped on me. I couldn't let him know I was watching.  
>After a few minutes I noticed a small bruise near his shoulder. It reminded me he's probably been training. Something popped into my mind. A nostalgic idea.<br>"Hey, either of you. I already know how to fight with words, as you probably noticed. Teach me how to fight. With fists. And kicks and stuff," I said. Eddie gave me a desperat look. "But why do you want that? You have us to protect you!"  
>"Because I don't want to be a spoiled princess in a golden cage, waiting to be rescued by people who do that for living! I don't want to feel weak! We did have lessons at Amberwood, remember? And then Angeline showed up and you trained her. And then you cancelled everything." I gave him dull, unhappy look, making myself look exactly like what I just told him I don't want to be.<br>He didn't get it! He didn't even know why I wanted to fight. We lived lives that could end every second. I wanted to at least have a chance to fight for myself.  
>I also wanted to fight with magic again. I couldn't be as strong as a dhampir. Not physicaly. But I hated the feeling of being helpless. With magic, I could be their equal. They fought for us every day. They risked lives. It wasn't fair! We had to help them! We had to do something for ourselves! I believed that whoever wanted to was allowed to be protected, living in fake security. And I trusted Eddie, Neil and even Angeline, I really did. But they couldn't protect me from some things. Strigoi weren't the only thread. And with that, I believed only in what I could do. Except that... I couldn't do anything yet.<br>"Jill, I'm sorry, but you can't expect me to do that. I don't personally have problems with the fact that you want to know about self defense. But I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid you're going to attack. And be defeated. And not only your pride's gonna hurt. I'm afraid for you. That's the only reason I'm tellimg you all of this," he said with a worried expression.  
>I knew in some points he was telling the truth, but there was one thing he didn't mention. And it came out of my mouth before I could stop it.<br>"You can't avoid me forever, you know!"  
>I thought I ruined the conversation again, but Eddie smiled. It was a wide, naughty smile I almost never saw on his face. Those adorable dimples appeared on his face. He didn't show them often enough. My heart skipped a beat. What was about to happen?<br>"Is that an order?" he asked. Oh, my god. He was making fun of me telling him to do what I say. I barely held laughter. It was kind of funny.  
>"I don't like your attitude," I said as coldly as I could, even though in my heart I was jumping in joy. We were joking with eachother again! Stuff were almost like before Palm Springs!<br>"Does that mean I'm fired?" he asked and tilted his head. Neil's gaze was travelling from one to another. He looked amused, but it was pretty clear he had no idea what was going on.  
>"Although your behaviour is certinately noted, I cannot fire you because I'm depending on you too much. You may not know this," I said and leaned towards him to whisper like it was a secret: "But my guardian refuses to train me."<br>Eddie rolled his eyes, but the smile didn't dissappear. My heart was still recovering.  
>"You won't dissapoint me, will you Neill? Will you train me?" Oops. Looks like I put him into an awkward position. He looked like he just wanted to dissappear.<br>Even being older than Eddie, he took him as a far more experienced guardian than himself. So, Eddie said what I asked him for was bad in every way possible. I, on the other hand, was his charge. And I wanted him to do it. He didn't know how to react.  
>"Come on, I'll pay you if you want," I begged. He bit his lip. "I... I'll consider it. But not for a payment."<br>I rolled my eyes and got up. "You guys are no fun. It's always a no when people say they'll consider it. And man, you're both rejecting money!"  
>"Oh, so now we both said no and you're leaving without any defense?" Eddie asked.<br>"No, I'm going to the bathroom, you idiot," I snorted. He laughed.  
>By the time I got back they were done with food. Both of them followed me to my room. And to think I wanted to take care of myself.<br>I decided to go to bed. I was honestly exhausted. Of course I took a shower before, but when I was crossing the living room in my pyjamas, I wrapped myself into my bathrobe tightly, hiding my face in my hair. Eddie couldn't see me like that. He has before, but it would still be so embarrassing.  
>I dug myself into the bed. I didn't notice yesterday, but the covers were silk, making them comfortably soft and cool for summer. Anything for the Dragomir princess. I usually found that principle absurd, but this time I had no right to complain about it. I was really enjoying it.<br>I was tired, my bed was perfect, there were no bond problems, but I spent at least an hour rolling around on the soft pillows with no clue what was wrong with me.  
>Eddie's words were ringing in my head and the kiss was repeating over and over in my mind. I liked that he was my guardian, it was why we met. But now it was ruining our relationship.<br>The relationship that didn't happen yet.  
>While thinking what to do about it I finally fell alseep. I had one of those ridiculous sensless dreams where I moved to Poland with Angeline and Trey and they bought a taco truck. Then they had to shut it down because someone who looked a lot like Laurel complained about peas.<br>Actually that wasn't so unbelievable. Except that I wouldn't go with them.  
>I woke up at about 5 am with that awesome feeling that I can just roll around and keep sleeping. And it was exactly what I did.<br>Then a few hours later the phone woke me up. I stumbled up and ran to the living room tripping. Eddie passed me the phone when he saw me. I was pretty sure whoever was on the other side wasn't worth the hurry. Most likely I looked even worse than the night before.  
>Lissa was on the phone. She sounded way too cheerfull for... Whatever time it was.<br>"Morning, Jill," she said with a happy voice. "Hey," I yawned and blinked a few times to clear my vision. "Oh, my god, did I wake you up?" she asked suddenly worried. "I..." I started, but she didn't let me finish. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even think of that. You can go back to sleep, we'll talk later."  
>I almost laughed. How could I ever be mad at her? She was such a nice person.<br>"Never mind, I'm already awake now. I've slept trough half of the day anyway. What do you need me for?"  
>Lissa paused for a second. "We have to talk about something. In person. It's a pretty big deal."<br>Oh, dear. That's almost exactly what she said after the attack, when she told me I have to leave to Palm Springs. This couldn't be good.  
>"Umm... Should I be afraid?" I asked. She laughed softly. "No need for that. I'm pretty sure you already knew thisbwas about to happen. The sooner it does, the better."<br>"Okay... When should I meet you?"  
>The other side went silent.<br>"... How about... At 10 am? In three hours? I have a councill meeting right now, but I'll be done by then," she told me. "Sure. I'm always free, so."  
>Lissa sighed. "Sorry to say this, but... For now. It's not gonna last."<br>Oh, yay. All the royal dinners and lunches and councill meetings and other things those shallow idiots have since they have nothing better to do. I had to participate that summer before Palm Springs. But not after the attack happened. They kept me locked looked like I wouldn't save myself from that now.  
>Well, I had better things to do! I could think of many just looking at Eddie.<br>When I took a good look around the room, I realised Neill was probably long gone. Maybe kicked out. He was definetly nowhere to be seen.  
>I was looking around the room and my eyes met Eddie's. "Morning," he said and smiled. He looked like he was awake forbat least two or three hours. I never understood how people do that.<br>I wanted to say something, but then I realised I still didn't exactly get up. I muttered something weird, pulled some clothes out of the suitcase and ran to the bathroom.  
>I couldn't make my hair look like anything. So I looked like usually. Except when I was all dressed up for royal occasions, when even I had to admitt I looked stunning. But that was make up, not reality. I just had to face with looking kind of fine every day.<br>I headed out for breakfast before the meeting with Lissa. Neil was in front of the room. Funny, I haven't seen Angeline in a while.  
>"You should go get some blood," Neill said. Good thing he reminded me, because I totally forgot.<br>I couldn't help but notice Eddie got all weird every time I went to the feeders'. It's not like anyone made him go. I once asked him about it, but he didn't gave me a real answer. One more thing to ask Rose about.  
>Blood, as usually, felt remarkably good. After it we went to get breakfast. It took us an hour all together. We had two left before the meeting with Lissa.<br>I decided to meet Mia Rinaldi, a Moroi girl who was two years older than me and really nice (although I heard she used to be a bitch to Rose and Lissa, but I never experienced it myself). She was a water user like me and she was also into defensive magic ever since her mother was killed in a Strigoi attack. That's when she moved from St. Vladimir's to the Court with her father. We both had magic lessons with Christian last summer and we became friends.  
>I turned to the building where the staff apartments were, decided to try my luck. Before she moved, Mia's reputation was crushed. But from what I've seen and heard lately, she got her social life back. She was rarely found home.<br>I really was lucky, as I hoped. Mia was just leaving the building when I was about to open the door.  
>"Jill? You're back? My god, I haven't seen you in ages!" she shrieked and hugged me, her blond curls falling in all ways and her blue eyes shining. That was, from what I've learned with observing auras and people's reactions trough the bond, a happy reactions.<br>"Why didn't you tell me?" she exclaimed with a smile, but a bit suprised, as if she expected me to meet her as soon as possible. That's what I did, actually.  
>"We arrived two days ago. In the evening. I slept trough most of yesterday," I replied. Her smile went even wider. "You poor thing."<br>Mia invited us in, assuring me we didn't cross any her plans, and offered us all ice cream. "It's the Royal Guardians' supply. Best ice cream you can get here," she told us. Of course I couldn't resist such a thing.  
>We had a lot to catch up with, so I was busy until the meeting. Besides everything that's been going on and I missed, I found out Mia was now dating Jesse Zeklos, a used-to-be-jerk who was now, according to her, really nice and madly in love with her. And Aaron Drozdov was engaged to Camille Conta. What the...?<br>Mia also officially met Neil. She and Eddie were already old friends. I heard she was there when that Mason guy was killed. It kind of bonded them, I guess. It made me kind of jelous, I guess.  
>I decided it was time to leave at half past nine. The meeting with Lissa would happen in half an hour and I wanted to talk to Christian before.<br>If anyone thought my room at guest houding was luxurious, the palace would take their breath away. I've been there before, but it amazed me every time.  
>Even more stunning was the fact that it was the second 'version' of the palace I'd seen in my life. When I first got there, it was all in red, since the rulling family were the Ivashkovs. Oil paintings of important family members from all Moroi history were hanging on the wall and the floor was covered with thick red carpets from door to door, making it look like the oscars. Even the lights were slightly on the red side, and it all seemed very royal. And agressive. And a bit creepy.<br>Well, now the portraits represented the Dragomir family. My family, I guess.  
>Everything was the same in theory, but wrapped in green and gold color. It looked even more royal and sophisticated if possible, and also soothing for the eyes. Like everything was different. I liked it way better.<br>I just found it a bit strange the government had that kind of money to decorate the palace.  
>The bond alarmed me that Adrian was also comming to the meeting. He was actually already there when I reached Lissa's office with the boys. He was half-lying on the floor, proving the carpets were just as thick as they looked.<br>"Ah, yes, when standing gets too hard," I snorted. "Sure, it takes lots of energy to be this awesome," he said with that grinn he used on everyone. It worked better than compultion sometimes.  
>I rolled my eyes with a smile. When he said those kind of things, he usually didn't really feel them. Well, he also didn't this time, but he also didn't have the sarcastic yeah-right kind of thoughts. He was mostly missing something and I just noticed what.<br>"Hey, where's Sydney?"  
>His grinn widened. "She has a job appointment."<br>I heard Eddie cough in suprise behind me. "But you guys've been here for only two weeks!"  
>Adrian laughed. "I can barely keep up with her."<br>"You know, a job probably wouldn't hurt you either," Neil commented. The rest of us almost choked on laughing. Poor Neil hasn't been on board for that long yet.  
>"Easy there, Tower Bridge. Step by step. All the vodka went trough the window," Adrian replied still chuckling.<br>I looked around and noticed there were more people around. And that maybe Sydney and Adrian weren't making the most innaproppriate actions there were to see. Trey and Angeline were leaning on the wall doing a bit more than kissing and a lot more than they should do in public.  
>"What are all of you even doing here?" I asked Adrian, who, suprisingly, was the most floored one around. He shrugged. "I suppose the same as you. Waiting for Lissa who called us on a meeting. She said it was about you, but I have no idea what."<br>Then the rest of the crew marched down the hall. Christian and Lissa with Rose and Dimitri right behind them.  
>Okay, Rose wasn't behind. Ever. In her life.<br>"Okay, so I see you're all..." Lissa started, "Never mind. Let's just go in."  
>At first they all just talked about what's happened in the last few days (which was nothing) while I stared trough the window without saying anything, waiting for something to happen. I really was worried about what was about to follow.<br>Then silence started. I looked at Eddie, but he just shrugged and smiled. Was it obvious how anxious I was?  
>"Don't worry, Jailbait, it can't be anything too bad," echoed in my head. I gave Adrian a gratefull smile. He didn't give me those mind messages often, but always when I needed them.<br>"Let's just start with this. The sooner it's over, the better," Lissa sighed. We all nodded and waited for her to talk.  
>"Okay... Jill... I know summer just started, but we still need to talk about this. You know you'll have to continue to go to school in September. I just have no idea where."<br>Oh, so that's what this was about. I didn't know if I should be relieved or not. Technically it was no big deal. But I've thought about it already and I didn't have a single clue about where to go.  
>"There are a few options," Lissa continued. "I don't think another human school's a good idea, but you could join the small class we have here at Court, where Mia goes. Well, she graduated this year. But you can still ask her about it. You could also go back to St. Vladimir's. Although I understand if you wouldn't want that since everything's changed so much and you've probably distanced from your friends in all this time. There's always an option that you go to another Academy like that."<br>"Alden's great," Adrian added. "Just too much homework."  
>Lissa shott him with a look that kept him quiet and said: "Of course it's your decision to make, I mean, it's your future we're talking about, I just think it's the best if you know now you have to face this. So you have enough time to think about it."<br>Okay, at least she wasn't pressuring me to tell her now. I already knew the options. I had no idea which one to pick.  
>"Thanks. I'm gonna think about it. Another academy's not an option. I'd love to go back to St. Vladimir's, I have friends there and I've always liked it. But... That's when you guys were there. Without you... It's not gonna be the same. But from what I've heard, the Court's school sucks."<br>We discussed the options over and over a few times and were then about to leave. Not neccessarily into different directions.  
>Then I thought of something.<br>"Hey, Lissa? Since I only have this summer for a while and I haven't seen everyone in ages... Would it be okay if my mom came to visit?"  
>Lissa laughed kindly with a look that made me think she was about to melt. She came over and hugged me. I wasn't that suprised.<br>"Oh, Jill, of course she can come! I'll get her a room next to yours. And now you can tell her about the whole deal, you know, Palm Springs and the bond... Just tell her to keep it quiet. Man, how didn't I think of that before?"  
>I smiled and gave a mentall note to myself to call her.<br>A minute before we left I remembered ehy I needed to talk to Christian. I stepped towards him and put a finger on his chest.  
>"Hey. You. I need to talk to you," I said.<br>"Me?"  
>"Yeah, you. I want to practise magic again."<br>He smiled. "That's it? No problem. When do we start?"  
>I looked at Eddie and Neil triumphly. "See? It's this easy." They both stared at me like they have no idea what just happened.<br>My mom arrived two days later to the Court's airport. My stepfather, John, was with her. Well, he wasn't my biological father, but I always called him Dad, because that's what he always was to me.  
>Of course we were all dragged into a big group hug, although I felt a bit bad for Eddie standing by the side. He smiled before the hug, which almost made me swoon, and I knew he wanted to let me know it was okay with him. I hope he didn't feel left out.<br>Reuniting with my parents brought me to the edge of tears. My mom was the one who couldn't hold the quiet weeping when she hugged me.  
>"Oh, Jill, I'm so glad to see you safe! You have no idea how worried I was..." she whispered.<br>"Hey, Jade. I missed you too," John said with a warm voice. I bit my lip not to cry. Jade was the nickname he gave me because of my eyes back when we had no idea where their color came from. He always teased my mom about giving me the wrong name.  
>We decided to go to something a bit more fancy at first. We chose a restaurant that mostly royals used. Most of the people who were already there recodnised me and nodded in greet or went so far they yelled from the other side of the room, even though I barely knew their names.<br>I knew the price in the restaurant would be appropriate for its guests, which means over the top. That's why I took the credit card Lissa arranged me to get. It had all the money from the account my dad donated to every month for me. I hadn't used that card much yet.  
>The waitor brought us menues with a smile too big to be real. I went trough it to decide what to order when my mom distracted me.<br>"Um, Jill? Are you going to introduce us to this... Boy you're with?" she asked curious, nodding towards Eddie. God, I totally forgot there were people who could not know him.  
>"Oh. Right. This is Eddie," I said.<br>An explosion of pleasure-to-meet-yous filled the room. "Eddie! Hi! I'm Jill's mom, Emily."  
>Wow, like he didn't already know she was my mom.<br>John slapped his shoulder and started with the football games and other 'manly stuff', which was just a bit disturbing. But I was okay with it, with not seeing them for so long.  
>"Nice to meet you both. I'm her guardian," Eddie said with that smile he could make, the one that could make him a TV star or, as I learned rom the way Sydney and Zoe acted, at least an Alchemist. But man, he'd work those magazine covers.<br>I found myself staring at him with a dreamy look and quickly snapped out of it.  
>"Wait... Guardian?" John asked. Eddie and I both nodded.<br>"Oh! Of course! Guardian. I'm so stupid. I thought..." my mom said and slapped her forehead. "So did I," John addmitted.  
>"Guys! No way! Did you think..." I asked shocked, feeling the blood rushing into my face. They thought Eddie was my boyfriend. It would've been nice, but... Right in front of him? Could I look like a bigger fool?<br>"Sorry!" John said. "Our bad!" mom laughed nervously. "But'd you look so good together," she whispered after a few seconds. "Mom!" I exclaimed.  
>My mom wanted me to date Eddie? I wanted that too, God knows I did, but this was even more embarrassing. Now he was blushing and I probably looked like a tomato.<br>I sent John a desperat look and, thank goodness, he decided to save me. "Okay, let's move on. You said you can now explain what went on last summer so you had to move for a year?" he asked. I nodded.  
>"Here's the thing. It's a long story, so place in your seats and don't interrupt, because we're getting nowhere that way. So. Remember the assassination I told you about? On that dinner? Well, they actually managed to kill me."<br>Both of their looks widened, but I continued.  
>"Adrian brought me back from dead. Remember how I told you about Rose and Lissa's bond? We have that now. I can see his mind. Other things about the attack are details. And I was in Palm Spring this year. I attended a school called Amberwood. Eddie and Adrian were both with me, and also an Alchemist called Sydney, and two more guardians, Angeline and Neil. You'll get to meet them all soon. That's about it, since the law is changed now. So. Questions?" I asked and sighed happily. As usually, I said it all in one breath.<br>My mom spoke: "You see, when you say Sydney. Do you mean the one who married Adrian not long ago?"  
>Oh, so the world knew.<br>"Seriously, that's the first thing you think of?" I laughed.  
>Of course they had many other questions and even in the future week while they stayed, dosens of those questions didn't stop comming up.<br>It was a busy, but fun week I spent with them. I took them as my main priority while they were here. I showed them around the Court, and then we spent most of the time exploring it. With Eddie behind us, of course. Since I didn't kbow the place that well yet, Adrian sometimes helped me with the showing-around thing. They also met the rest of my friends, like 'Oh my God, the Queen!'.  
>And honestly, saying goodbye was hard. I was used to not seeing them for almost a year, but this time I knew my life wasn't that ordinary anymore. I couldn't just make a wish and run away to Detroit, no matter how much I wanted to sometimes. I had to be strong, a princess everyone expected me to be.<br>At least I had Eddie.  
>I promised my mom and John it wasn't the last time they've seen me that summer. I really wanted to visit them at home.<br>In the middle of the week after they left Lissa called a meeting for all of us again. This time I didn't overwhelm myself with worrying, maybe because she also sounded way happier on the phone than the first time.  
>I knew I was right about that when I saw her in person. There was a wide smile on her face and she was calmer than I've seen her in ages. She looked like she was about to burst out what was happening. She was holding Christian's arm so tightly I thought she was about to fly on only the 'happiness fuel'.<br>I looked at Adrian for explanation, but it was clear he again didn't have a clue why we were there. Not even Rose looked like she could help.  
>"I have a suprise for you all!" Lissa shrieked. "Okay, I'm just gonna say it. Why wait? We're going on vacation!"<p>

**That's it for now! I have no idea where to send them, so please help me with that! And did you like the kiss? Did you like it, did you like it? And everything else? What did you think? Let me know!**

**And oh, my god, did you see what Penguin Teen did to us with The Ruby Circle trailers? I'm dying! I need that now!**

**Okay, so, however, I think I'll be done with the next chapter until Christmas. Depends on how long will it be. Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! As I hoped, I finished for Christmas. So this is my Christmas present to whoever reads this! And merry Christmas everyone! Okey, I'm gonna stop writing Christmas now. This is a shorter chapter than the two before, but I still think it's not too short. I hope you like it. As always, I'm sorry for the mistakes I probably made, this full of spoilers thing belongs to Richelle Mead, and please review!**

The whole room suddenly went silent.  
>Christian seemed to be the first one to recover. Maybe because he always at least kind of knew what was on his love's mind.<br>"Wow, really? Awesome! When?" Lissa's smile went even wider, if possible. "In three days," she said. And quickly added: "If you all agree, of course."  
>"I think it's a great idea! I'd love to go. Just... Where are we going?" I asked, but my mind was already lost in fantasies.<br>A vacation! Just what I needed! A way to turn my mind off for a while. A picture of Eddie rubbing sunscream on my back shirtless played in my mind. This was the best idea ever.  
>"We're going to Pentisuala," Lissa replied proudly.<br>"To where now?" Rose asked.  
>"Pentisuala? The Royal Court's privat Hawaian island? Haven't you heard of it? It's gorgeous, and there are feeders everywhere, and they have Moroi staff all over the place and everything happens at night..."<br>"Nightlife, you say?" Adrian asked, suddenly more interested than before. And he was already far from not caring. Sydney, who was on the meeting this time, gave him a look that made him shut up immediately.  
>"Seriously, has none of you ever heard of the island?" Lissa asked outraged. Well, I haven't. And according from the look on everyone else's face, they haven't either.<br>"Well, we'll have a chance to learn about it now," Dimitri said diplomatically.  
>"I'm taking this as a honey moon," Adrian said. Sydney smiled. They were so much fun to watch. And sweet to half-feel.<br>The room was buzzing with all of our excited voices and Lissa was shining like the Sun in August. But even trough all the mess I noticed Neil making his way trough the room towards her. Since I was sitting near her, I listened to their conversation.  
>"Your majesty, with all the respect, I won't be joining your vacation," he said. Lissa's face fell a bit, but she hidd it pretty well.<br>"Neil, for god's sake, call me Lissa. And why wouldn't you want to join us? We all want you to come and have fun," she said.  
>This really was weird. Why wouldn't he want to come? I know he didn't care about Eddie shirtless, but still!<br>Neil looked nervous. He didn't want to hurt Lissa's feelings, or, even worse, insult her. "Just say it," I thought. I knew he couldn't hear me, but who cares.  
>Finally, he hesitatingly spoke: "No offence, but... I wouldn't want to be the third wheel. Or the eleventh, in our case. Since you're all coupled up, and I don't want to be the only one to go alone."<br>"Hey, I'm not all coupled up!" I exclaimed. It was already too late when I realised Eddie said the exact same thing.  
>Neil's lip corners twitched. "As I said, since you're all coupled up."<br>I sighed. "Neil, don't be an idiot. You'll regret if you don't go. We all just want you to have fun. And besides, it's your job, you know. You have to protect me."  
>As much as it hurt me, I had to play the your-job card. He frowned, obviously realising I was right.<br>"No!" Lissa's voice filled the room. "No, it's not your job. All the guardians are on vacation too! The island is protected."  
>"You know we'll keep an eye. You can't do anything about that and neither can we. It's enough as long as we're with you," Dimitri said. I heard his first charge was killed while he was on a break. Rose held his hand, cearly also thinking of that.<br>"Okay, I'm going," Neil said suddenly decided. A smile formed on my face. I was happy he decided that way. And it was a good to know at least one of my guardians wasn't that hard to convince.  
>I stood up from my chair and hugged him. I think it suprised us both, but he returned the hug. He's kind of grown to me. But I still slightly looked at Eddie with a daring smile over Neil's shoulder. I don't know if he didn't know what I was doing or if he ignored me, but he just smiled back.<br>Adrian quietly laughed in the back and I felt that he knew. At least someone understood what I was trying to achieve.  
>I unpacked only a few days ago. All the suff lying around the room was bothering me, but now I felt incredibly stupid. I had to pack again.<br>"Need some help?" I heard behind me. I turned around and saw Angeline standing by my open door.  
>"You're done? Are you even taking anything? A bathing suit isn't enough for a whole week, not even in Hawai, you know," I told her. It's only been twenty minutes, and I wasn't even done with my underwear yet.<br>She nodded. "I know. But I think something for every day should be enough. I actually think you already have enough things packed, but it's your choice. I'm just here to help you. If you want."  
>That made me smile. I really have changed her. The old Angeline never felt like keeping her opinion to herself. Well. I recently saw she had other things to do with her mouth. Things including Trey.<br>Damn it, they really were all coupled up. I wanted to be coupled up! Everyone around me was making out with someone. And I only had a wild heartbeat whenever Eddie was around.  
>With Angeline's help the packing was finished a lot faster. I took all the stuff I could think of. Like all the bathing suits I had, tons of dresses (except from the ones from the royal occasions, although I still kept them in my room), shorts, T-shirts, tank tops... Many of them were still in the room's closet from a year ago. Lissa told me no one was staying there since I left. My size hasn't changed since I left go Palm Springs, which I took as a good thing. Anyhow, Angeline's eyes kept widening whenever I opened a closet. The Keepers' village she lived in probably didn't have that many clothes all together.<br>So, in the next two days all the preparations for 'The Queen's Big Vacation' went on. Although it wasn't really that big of a deal and Lissa claimed we were really gonna get a break. She just had to arrange everything before she left the Court. And I didn't mind the waiting. It was totally worth it.  
>The flight lasted for ten hours. I sat by the window with Eddie next to me (I'm sure Adrian had something to do with that). There was an old lady by the transition. She was doing something with wool that looked really oldish and kind of creepy. I should proably know what it was, since I was in a sewing club for almost a year. Oh, well.<br>I tried to read a magazine, but with Eddie next to me... Our hands touched every once in a while and then I couldn't focus on the words for fifteen minutes. And by the time they passed, we already touched again. Then we started talking and he was way more relaxed than I was used to, so he made me laugh all the time. It was actually great and I didn't mind putting the magazine away.  
>Then Eddie went to the bathroom. I don't know why, but I fell asleep in the mean time.<br>The flight attendant woke me up a few hours later with the before-the-landing announcment. The light blinded me and I was all confused, like I always am when I wake up.  
>"Wh... What happened?" I stuttered. Eddie looked at me with those warm eyes and smiled. "You fell asleep. And now we're about to land."<br>I looked trough the window and everywhere I looked, there were those amazing sand beaches and crystal clear turqouise sea. Hawaii!  
>"Right," I laughed.<br>Then I noticed his carefree mood from before was gone. He was checking the surroundings all guardian-like again.  
>"Oh, one more thing," I said. "Name it, and it's yours," he said with a heart-stopping grinn. I almost forgot what I wanted to say.<br>"Jill?" he asked.  
>"Uh..."<br>Our gazes locked and I didn't realise we were staring at eachother until the plane was starting to land.  
>"I... I wanted to say that we're on vacation. That includes you. You don't have to protect me. Just relax. Go with the flow."<br>His smile went a bit wider.  
>"I'm working on it."<br>The airport we landed on was owned by the hotel we were staying in. It was very practical, because we could just walk off to our rooms. Trough the reception, of course.  
>And wow, everything around us was amazing. Just the air itself was warm and kind of salty from the sea. It wasn't as dry as the air in Palm Springs, it was nore humid, and it felt good.<br>There were palm trees everywhere and the exotic plants I've never seen before. The sun was shining when we arrived, but it wasn't bothering me.  
>I could still see the beach from before. And since it was Moroi night and no one was around, it even increased the effect of a peacefull paradise.<br>"Seriously?" Rose exclaimed when we came closer to the hotel. I followed her look. There was a huge sign in front of the hotel, and it said 'The Coconut Hotel' all over it. Next to it was a palm tree drawing that was also drawn on the door and, now that I looked closer, also the plane we just left. It seemed to be some kind of the hotel's logotype.  
>"Are you kidding me? The Coconut Hotel?" I laughed. Eddie shrugged next to me with an amused expression and Lissa rolled her eyes. "Sorry, it's the only hotel with wards," she said. "Oh, no, it's not a problem," I said, still holding laughter back. "We just think it's funny," Adrian completed.<br>As we entered I realised those coconuts and palm trees were kind of the hotel's theme. And it was a bit ridiculous.  
>Know about those baskets of fruit they have in some places? Here they had one with only coconuts. The air was filled with coconut scent and the bamboo carpets were probably supposed to add on the tropical effect. And bamboo curtains.<br>The chairs had seats made of palm leafes. I doubted it was very comfortable. The table cloths looked like coconut flavour, but that couldn't be, since it would fall apart.  
>There was even a palm tree in a corner. And tons of coconut snacks. The girls that had them on trays were wearing only bras made of coconut shells. Okay, maybe they were fake, but it still crossed the limit of good taste.<br>I also decided I had to visit the gift shop later. Although I'd probably find nothing else but more coconut stuff.  
>Lissa, who booked our rooms, also got the keys at the reception. When she gave me mine, she said: "Sorry, but you're alone in your room. I mean, I don't know if you like it or not, but there was no other way because, well, as Neil said, everyone else's coupled up and it wouldn't be that appropriate if you had to be with Eddie or Neil. So, they're sharing a room and you're alone. Except, Neil probably wouldn't mind being alone if that's what you want?"<br>I smiled. And then blushed. It took me a while to realise she was actually teasing me about Eddie. Also, she was talking a bit like me. "That's okay, thanks. I'll be fine alone," I laughed, still feeling my cheeks burn.  
>So, the coconuts didn't stop in the lobby. The first thing I noticed about the room was the bed cover. Three palm trees planted on a sea of coconuts. Where did they even get those?<br>The chairs, table and curtains were the same as downstairs. And of course there was a basked full of soaps and shampoos and stuff like that. They were all with coconut. That shouldn't even suprise me.  
>Although I was staying in it alone, my room still had two beds. It also had a bathroom and even a small kitchen. Well, more like a stove and a mini fridge, but you could still make food and keep your drink cool. Of course, with all the luxury, not even a huge flat screen TV wasn't missing. It probably had more channels than I could count.<br>What I liked most was the balcony. And it wasn't a small one. Of course there was a palm tree on it. But I barely noticed because of the astonishing view I had.  
>And to think I was already in heaven from what I saw from the plane.<br>I could see a lot of stuff under the balcony were still the hotel's property. There were small round houses placed over the ground. Probably suites, bigger and even more luxurious than mine.  
>You could do something anywhere you looked. There was a huge pool with amazingly clean water, surrounded by small shops and coctail bars and incredibly comfortable looking chairs. Lots of people were there, even thiugh it was officially night. In their bathing suits. I was dying to make Eddie one of them.<br>I could also see a restaurant with a enormous pattio and even a club. They were both very tropical looking, which was so suprisingly appealing in that moment I barely stayed inside.  
>And the best of the best, the sea. The one I already admired from the plane. I could smell it, I could already almost feel it on my skin. I wanted to dive into it more than ever. And the beach, oh, that beach.<br>"Lissa, thank you for being you," I muttered.  
>Angeline walked into the room.<br>"You seriously need to learn about knocking," I told her. She laughed.  
>"Awesome here, huh?" she asked. "Stunning," I agreed. "Can't wait to go outside and enjoy it."<br>"Oh, yeah, did you see the hot guys down there? By the pool and on the beach... This place is heaven," she sighed.  
>"Whoa, what happened to Trey? Where is he anyway?" I asked. "He's in our room. We're going out later. I'm saving him for the night. You know, I have a boyfriend, but I'm not dead."<br>Oh, Angeline.  
>A knock on the door broke our conversation.<br>"Well, at least someone has a few ideas about privacy," I said looking at Angeline meaningly while opening up. It was Christian.  
>"Hey, girls. We're going out. You comming with us?" he asked. "Count me in!" I smiled.<br>We hurried behind him and met the rest of our group in the lobby. I caught Eddie staring at me and met his eyes. He looked down.  
>First we went to the gift shop. Of course, coconuts everywhere, but not the products were the ones who caught my attention. My look was stuck on the counter. "No way," I laughed. I wasn't even sure it was her, because I've only seen her trough the bond before, but from the look on Neil's face it was pretty clear I was right.<br>"Who would've thought," Adrian smirked.  
>"O... Olive?" Neil finally stuttered.<br>There was no doubt about it anymore. Olive Sinclair, the ex Strigoi and Neil's - not so ex - crush.  
>"Let's give them a moment. Or a few hours," Eddie said. We left outside. Neil gave me a questioning look. I smiled.<br>"Looks like we're officially all coupled up now," Trey smirked. All the guys Angeline was checking were already forgotten, because now her hands were around Trey.  
>"We're not coupled up!" I exclaimed. "Exactly," Eddie agreed. Adrian snorted."Why do you guys even try?"<br>We headed to the coctail bar. I ordered something alcohol free and kicked Adrian when he was about to order a martini. Then I sat beside him on one of those high chairs you see in bars and watched the sea. Thank goodness the bar had roof that made it impossible for the sun to get to me too much, but I was getting used to it anyway.  
>I leaned back and relaxed. Then something weird came into my sight. It was a slightly transparet face of someone familliar. Someone I've seen many times on portreits and other paintings, someone I've heard a lot about, from people and trough the bond, someone loved and worshiped for so long. But... That someone was dead for almost a year.<br>I screamed louder than ever before and jumped off my chair, running god knows were. The whole beach turned their heads towards me to see what's going on. Eddie of course jumped from somewhere to protect me. He held my hands to calm me down and I stopped, still terrified. Then he looked around confused.  
>"Jill? What happened? What's wrong?" he asked. It was probably pretty obvious I wasn't able to answer. It all reminded of the first time I was in Adrian's head. Eddie seemed to realise that too (he was there at the time), because he dragged him towards us.<br>"What did you do?" he asked him in a threading voice. Adrian shrugged. "I didn't do anything, I swear. I'm innocent this time." Eddie shook his head, clearly not believing him. "Then what scared so much?"  
>Adrian's eyes went wide. "You're afraid of pinneapples?" he exclaimed looking at me. I've come back to myself enough to shook my head.<br>"Why on Earth would you think she's afraid of pinneapples?" Eddie asked confused. "He... He was thinking of pinneapples when it happened," I stuttered. He still didn't seem clear with what's going on. "Why would you..." Adrian sighed. "I've never seen a pinneapple plant before. You notice stuff like that, Castile!"  
>Eddie's face looked like he was about to explode. "WHAT HAPPENED?" he exclaimed.<br>"I... I think I saw a... Umm... Ghost."  
>Rose jumped towards me. "Shit! Did you say ghost? I need to talk to you," she sighed and dragged me on the side.<br>"Wait. What?" Adrian asked. "You too," Rose said and pulled him with. Eddie looked like he was about to knock down any second. "You won't hurt if we explain you things, will you?" she asked him. Eddie followed her.  
>"So. Who's ghost did you see?" I exhaled. "The former Queen's." Adrian gasped. "My aunt's?" I nodded. "Okay. It's because you're shadow kissed. The ghost was real."<br>Rose's eyes were looking at me in concern, like she expected me to freak out. Why would I freak out over the fact that I saw a ghost? I laughed nervously. "Yeah, that can't happen. Maybe we're just all losing our minds or whatever."  
>"Look, Jill, I know how crazy and twisted it sounds. But I've never said there's anything normal about our lives. You have to believe me. It's happened to me before," Rose said. "You mean the time you freaked out on the plane?" Adrian asked. "Exactly the time."<br>I sighed. "Okay, let's suppose I do see ghosts. What do I do?" Rose frowned. "You relax. You try to ignore them. You control yourself. They dissappear eventually."  
>Lissa, who heard the conversation, neared us. "But that means the wards aren't working. Remember? Like when you saw Mason's ghost?"<br>"Damn," Eddie said and hurried over to the hotel's reception. We all stared behind him with our mouths open until he returned. "They're refreshing them today, they sent out extra guardians, there's nothing to worry about," he told us.  
>"Look, just try to forget the ghosts. You'll be under wards for most of the time. Whenever they get to you, remember what I told you. They'll go away. Just relax."<br>I decided to go back inside for the night. It was late anyway. Everyone went with me, even though I told them they didn't have to. I hoped at least some of them were going back outside later.  
>Then we found Neil and Olive talking in the lobby. "Jill!" Neil exclaimed and jumped towards me. "Would you mind if I go out with Olive tonight?" I smiled and almost hugged him. I was so happy to hear this. He deserved to have a proper date with her. I'm sure she did too, no matter what she's been trough lately.<br>"Of course I wouldn't mind! I'm so happy for you! And besides, you don't have to ask permission. It's your life, and you're on vacation. Go, have fun!"  
>But when I turned around, my happiness dissappeared. Eddie was staring at one of the coconut bra girls with a, well, innapropriatte look.<br>The girl was a dhampir and very likely a native. She had gorgeous long black hair and very tanned complexion. Her face features were beautiful and exotic. And, hm, let's just say her bra had to be made out of a big coconut.  
>She was gorgeous, no doubt, and she had an easy job at making me feel invisible. I could imagine lots of guys staring at her. Just... Not Eddie. I thought he was different.<br>Jelousy rose in me. I elbowed Eddie and he stopped staring immediately. Actually his eyes became all dreamy when he looked at me. I was still the object of his admiration.  
>But then I caught the girl staring at him. I became angry.<br>I suddenly realised how selfish and cocky I was. Eddie was a person, not my property. He had every right to look at that girl. But... That didn't mean I liked her.  
>I should probably hold myself, but an idea popped into my head. It was too late. I walked towards her.<br>"Hey, you. You're new here, aren't you?" I asked. She nodded carefully.  
>"Okay, you should know this. I'd quit as soon as possible. I've been here for a while... It's probably the uniforms. All the guys stare at girls like you. And well, it's okay as long as they just stare. Some come up and give comments... Innapropriatte ones. Some do even worse. You can imagine."<br>"Why should I believe you?" she asked with her fists clenched. I raised my hands. "Just trying to help. I've seen a lot of this and I just think it's wrong."  
>I was about to leave, hoping to make an effect, but then Rose joined me. She obviously noticed I was jelous and wanted to help me.<br>"Hey, girl, she's right. I worked here for a while and quitted after a month. The paycheck ain't worth it," she said. It wasn't hard to believe her, with her exotic dhampir features that also atractted a lot of looks. But she didn't make me jelous, not even when she was with Adrian. Maybe because he was never mine. I never even got a chance to get possesive.  
>The girl became terrified. Rose started to count guys who would bother her and what she did to them. She really was good at this. When she came to number ten who supposingly told her to "watch her coconuts", he girl ran away, screaming: "Margaret, I don't care what you say! I quit!"<br>"Hey, Rose? Thanks. It was wrong, I know... But I had to do it."  
>Eddie was looking at me shocked. Shocked, but kind of impressed.<br>We finally left to our rooms. I've only been on the couch for a few minutes when I felt Adrian comming. I opened the door for him.  
>"Jailbait, you get more like me every day. Good one down there. The girl was totally freaked out," he said with a light voice, but I sensed a "What the heck are you doing? This is nothing like you!" under the careless act.<br>"I just... Got jelous. I caught him staring at her the way I never thought he would. I thought he was different."  
>Adrian wrapped his hand around my shoulder. "It probably just suprised him. We tempt to get big eyes at something like that, but it's still obvious you're his one and only."<br>"You know that means that girl's losing her job because of me? I still don't like her, but she's an innocent. I guess," I sighed.  
>"Don't worry, Jailbait. She wouldn't believe you anyway if you tried to do something. But I'm pretty sure that Margaret person's gonna tell her there've been no complains and that Rose's never worked there. And even if she does quit, it's for the best. It's a lousy job anyway."<br>"Guess you're right," I sighed and leaned on his shoulder. I felt that he was trying to think of a way to cheer me up.  
>"You know, I still don't like the way I acted. At all. It's not like me."<br>He smiled. "All fair in love and war. Although sometimes there's no difference between the two." I nodded.  
>Well, Adrian left after a while and I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling with painted palm trees. I wasn't blaming myself for what I'd done before, but I just wished I could stop. With the faking. Acting like I don't like him just because everything went wrong whenever I didn't. And the both times I revealed my feelings, it felt great at first. Then it went down in flames.<br>I thought of the kiss. My heartbeat speaded up and my head was spinning, even though I was laying on my bed. It was just like I imagined in all my dreams. Except that in my dreams, I was laying on my back like right now, and his face was above mine, and his warm brown eyes were looking at me, and then...  
>And suddenly his warm brown eyes were above me.<br>"Are you okay?" Eddie asked a bit suprised about seeing me all delirious.  
>"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. How did you get in here?"<br>He opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he said: "It was open. I knocked for like ten times, but you didn't open or answer, so I just walked in. I was worried. And... Um... Are you sure you're okay? I knocked quite loud."  
>Now I noticed the frown on his face and his worried look. Of course he was concerned about my sanity, when I was so lost daydreaming about him I didn't even hear him knocking! I was concerned about my sanity, and I was bound to a potentially crazy vampire artist!<br>Well, at least I knew what to tell him.  
>"Sorry, I was in Adrian's head. Not really paying attention to the world."<br>He still looked understandably confused.  
>"So, what's up?" I asked.<br>"Right. Neil came from his date."  
>I sat up in bed, hoping for the details. Eddie realised he was still leaning over me, so he wisely straightened up when I raised my head before we could crash.<br>"So?" I asked excited. "Um, it went great. She really missed him and they had major trouble trying to stop talking to eachother. They kissed. He paid for everything. She's comming back to the Court. He's moving to her room."  
>All the things he said were mixed up and confused, so I stopped him before he could continue.<br>"Wait, he's moving to her room? Wow, that was fast!" Eddie nodded. "Yeah, that's more or less the reason I came here. If you agree, I'm not staying alone. It's a waste to hire two rooms for two people and they both stay half empty. So, uh, if you, hm, agree... I'd - I'd be moving to your room. If you agree of course."  
>Moving to my room? MOVING TO MY ROOM?!<br>"Um... Yeah, sure. Lots of moving today, huh?" I laughed nervously. "But seriously, it's fine. It'd be waste."  
>"Yeah, we all talked it trough and agreed it's good idea. But of course you have to be in for it."<br>Oh, they. I knew it wasn't his idea. I knew neither of us was gonna sleep. But, well, I'd be lying if I said I was all against it.  
>I was still unable to move from my bed when Eddie left to get his stuff. Stepping into his room at Amberwood almost killed me. Now his room was gonna be MY room.<br>He entered the room again with a full lap of bags. I managed to get up and help him carry the boxes. "This should be an interesting vacation," I muttered.

**Haha, I'm tourturing them, huh? Oh, I just wanted to let you know I started posting this story on Wattpad. Just think you should know **** Oh and did you read the first 5 chapters of The Ruby Circle? I died!**

**Okay so however, I'm gonna try to write the next chapter as soon as possible and you please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! A new chapter's here! It's also a bit shorter than the others because I had like a really long chapter, so i decided to post it in two parts. The second part is already finished and comming up soon. Oh, thank you for the FIVE new reviews! You guys make me so happy! Please, keep up with that! :D As always, there are spoilers, it all belongs to Richelle Mead. And I'm sorry for the mistakes I probably made. So – enjoy and please keep reviewing!**

Our bedtime at Court was always late, and when Eddie finally completely moved to my room, it was way past it. Which was no wonder, since we already came in the middle of the night. We both showered quickly and then headed to bed.  
>Of course I couldn't sleep with him in my room. I was too nervous, even when his breathing became calm and slow. I went to bathroom for like ten times and then started with midnigt snacks from the mini fridge, glancing at Eddie's peaceful expression every time. He looked like a sleeping angel.<br>Then I finally settled in bed and tried to calm down.  
>"I can't sleep," I finally said out loud after a few more minutes.<br>"Yeah, me neither."  
>I jumped up alarmed. I didn't expect a response. Eddie was acting like he's asleep for the whole time I was all over the room.<br>"Is it because of me?" I asked with guilt starting to choke me. "No, of course not. I can normally sleep in whatever conditions. But right now..."  
>"Yeah, I know what you mean." I paused for a second. "Hey, did you realise they really are all coupled up now? Except for... Well... Us, of course?"<br>He nodded, so we started to talk and didn't sleep for the rest of the night. Then I heard stepps in the hallway.  
>"It's 6 am," Eddie said suprised. "Oh. Um... We should probably get some sleep as long as we can," I told him. He nodded and turned around in bed, so that I could see his back. I shrugged and did the same. But it still took me a while to fall asleep.<br>Knocking on the door woke me up. "Go open up..." I murmured with a sleepy voice still half dreaming. But when I opened my eyes, I noticed that Eddie was already dressed and that it was dark outside. It was in the middle of the day.  
>"What time is it?" I asked.<br>"10 am," Eddie told me and opened the door. It was Rose. "We're going out," she told us. "You two comming? Or you want some more alone time?"  
>Eddie rolled his eyes and laughed and I quickly got up blushing.<br>Wait. Was it okay he just laughed? Should he be embarrassed too? Was he too close to Rose? Was Rose dangerous?  
>For god's sake, Jill, relax, I told myself. Rose was just his good friend. And also mine. And she was in a serious relationship with Dimitri whom she was gead over heels in love with.<br>Maybe I had some problems with jelousy lately.  
>"We're comming," I told Rose. She smiled and left. I glanced at Eddie, grabbed some clothes (including a bikini of course) and ran to the bathroom.<br>When I saw my reflection in the mirror it honestly freaked me out. I even shrieked quietly. My curls were almost bigger than me and my eyes looked like I was having an awful hangover. I knew how that looks. Not from my own experience.  
>In moments like that I was sure I know why Eddie didn't want to be with me. He wasn't even in love with me. I mean, why would he be?<br>Then a flashback from a few hours ago hit me. I was laying in bed with my eyes closed, trying to sleep. Then I looked at Eddie. He was looking at me with such a warm expression on his face, such admiration, such love. I knew. He loved me just as much as I loved him.  
>But why did things have to be so complicated?<br>I sighed and reached for my toothbrush. Then I got dressed, washed my face and brushed my hair. After a few seconds of staring at mayself in the mirror I decided I look fine and left the bathroom.  
>Eddie was already beach ready in the room. I took a deep breath. He was seriously working the whole shirtless thing. It probably came from all the working out and training he had as a guardian. It didn't matter, although. He still looked smoking hot.<br>It was already 11 am when I got out. I didn't realise how long I took. "You think they're still waiting for us?" I asked Eddie. He shook his head.  
>"They called earlier. They're already at the beach."<br>They really were. It wasn't until we got there when I realised how many of us there really were, especially since Olive joined the group. We occupied half of the hotel beach.  
>"Damn it, we look like a camp, people!" I yelled down the shore. Adrian waved at me from a few feet away. I pulled my clothes off and stayed in the bikini like others.<br>The bond told me Adrian loved that. Sydney was leaning on his chest and they were both even more relaxed than at Court. It even felt great for me, feeling how they were enjoying the warmth.  
>There was no sun, of course. We were still on the night schedule. Comming from Palm Springs, I honestly kind of missed it.<br>And, hm, back at Court my first association for vacation was Eddie rubbing sunscream on my back. I should've thought of the fact that I wouldn't need it at night. It was a good thing I was Moroi. It meant I could see well at night. Almost as well as during the day.  
>After I placed my towel next to Eddie's on the sand, I closed my eyes and went back to sweet, sweet dreams.<br>"Hey, let's go down the shore for a walk. I wanna see if there's anything down there. I think there is," a familiar voice said, but I couldn't tell who it was. I couldn't even tell if it was real or a dream, I was still too sleepy.  
>That is, until the voice's owner kicked me.<br>"Ouch! What was that for?" I exclaimed opening my eyes. Angeline's blue ones were staring at me. She looked mad, but her expression soothed when she saw mine.  
>"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or something. You're okay, right? I just hate it when people ignore me," she sighed and gave me an apologetic smile.<br>"I'm fine. And," I told her, "Don't blame the people who ignore you because they're a sleep." She smiled.  
>"Angeline, what do you think you're doing? Jill's your charge! You protect her, not hurt her! PROTECT! P-R-O-T-E-C-T! I should've knocked you down for this!" exclaimed Eddie. He, as always when he assumed I was in danger, appeared out of nowhere. I thought he was also asleep. Well, if he was, I knew he wasn't gonna fall back to sleep soon, because he was pissed off. His eyes were burning with rage, and I was all over it. I probably shouldn't have liked it, but I kind of did.<br>"Oh, relax. She didn't mean any harm. Also, it proves how prepared she is to face an enemy," I pointed out. He was about to say something else, but I turned back to Angeline, ignoring him on purpose, even though it was totally hot what he was doing. I was kind of playing with him.  
>"So, Angeline? What did you even ask that was so important?"<br>"I said," she rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed about repeating herself, "Let's go down the shore for a walk. To explore a little more, since we didn't yesterday."  
>Ouf, I felt kind of bad about that. She was forced (I sure said she didn't have to, but it was obvious that everyone did it) to get inside because of my fallout, when all she wanted to do was have some fun. That was actually what all of us wanted. That was the reason we were having this vacation.<br>"Let's go," I told her with a geniue smile. "Eddie, you comming?" He smiled too.  
>"Do I have a choice?"<br>"No, not really."  
>"Thanks, guys!" said Angeline and hugged first me, then Trey, who'd been standing on the side during the whole thing. At least he got his part now. It wasn't just a hug. What I'd learned in the past months with Angeline, was that it was all or nothing with her.<br>"Hey, what's that about?" Adrian asked. Sydney rolled her eyes with a smile. "They're going on a walk."  
>Without any further conversation they joined us. Sometimes it was like they had a bond too. Well, they probably did, but not like mine at all.<br>After walking for a little while I noticed a bunch of boats in the water with a sign above them. I stepped closer to read it.  
>"Look, rent a boat. I wish I could drive one," I sighed. I already saw myself driving a boat with my awkward skills... Nope. Not a good idea. I'd kill someone. But I loved water. It was the element I'd specialised in.<br>"I can drive a boat," Eddie told me. Of course he could. It didn't seem right that he couldn't. But it still made him just more perfect in my eyes. Him driving a boat... and me on it. That seemed like a good idea. One we should definetly try out.  
>"Lets rent one! I can use my family bank account!" I said excited. "I don't know," he replied and shook his head. He had that strict guardian look that meant he thought I could get hurt.<br>"Oh, come on! What could happen? You know you want it too!" I begged. I gave him that innocent look of a poor little girl who doesn't ever get to have any fun because she's a princess. I did it because I knew he couldn't refuse anything when he saw it. He felt too sorry for me.  
>"Fine," he sighed. But I could see he was happy about it too. His face softened. He DID want to go! I knew him so well. I knew he wanted to have some fun too.<br>I cheered in excitment about my victory and wrapped my arms around him. He chuckled and pulled me a bit closer.  
>"Awww." That was Adrian's voice in my head. It was frustrating, someone else in your brain. Sometimes the bond just annoyed me. He did that on purpose. He liked teasing me like that. No other girl had that kind of problem. Being teased directly into her head. Well, maybe it was still better than if anyone but me heard it.<br>Then I realised I'm hugging Eddie. He was hugging me back, of course. It was nice to feel his hands on my back, like we were meant to be like this.  
>But I couldn't just hug him like that in public!<br>I let go and took a step back, but couldn't take my look away from his gorgeous eyes. His gaze was locked on mine too. There was some tension between us. I was shibbering. Things like that happened all the time and it was getting more and more awkward.  
>My look slidd from his eyes down to his lips and I took a breath trying to calm down before I could-<br>"I wanna go too!" Angeline's voice broke the silence. Great, I thought. I almost groaned in dissapproval, but then I realised it was just because I was about to lose my alone time with Eddie. Like I didn't have enough of that in the room that we shared.  
>I blushed uncontrolabley. Luckily no one noticed. What was up with the whole jelousy thing lately?<br>"I can drive it," Trey smiled. "Then let's go too!" Angeline shrieked. "Umm... we're broke. We can't," Trey replied, obviously dissapointed he had to let her down, even though he was pretty good at trying to hide it. Angeline didn't do so well. Her face fell and she looked like she was about to burst into tears.  
>"I'll pay. I've got enough money," I offered. "Really?" Angeline breathed. I nodded. I was feeling kinda generous. And guilty because I was against them having a good time at first. I mean, they were getting their own boat anyway.<br>Angeline jumped up and hugged me and Trey (again). It seemed to be a hugging day.  
>We got into the boats after I paid to their owner. I rented them for two hours.<br>Angeline and Trey didn't exactly get far because they were making out all along, but Eddie and I had the time of our lives.  
>He took my advice from the plane and completely relaxed. Things weren't even awkward. He looked like a god, or as Sydney would say, an anthic statue. His hair was floating in the wind, making it looked like gold. His warm brown eyes were shining like in those rare moments that were honestly my favorite kind in the world because I could see he was happy. His tanned skin - that came from being allowed to be on the sun - made him look like a model from a magazine cover. I'd totally buy that kind of magazine.<br>I wanted to kiss him the whole time, but I held myself. I knew I'd just ruin everything. We had so much fun without making a scene from a chick flick.  
>"We should buy one of these things!" I yelled over the wind. He wouldn't hear me otherwise, even though he was only a few inches away, which I was perfectly aware of the whole time we were on the boat.<br>Eddie laughed. "This one will do!"  
>We really got a great one. The brand was called Elan, which Eddie commented as a high quality boat. I've honestly never heard of it, but I also had no idea about boats. It suprised me a bit that Eddie did.<br>I could, although, admitt it was a gorgeous boat. I loved it. It was metalic gray with black stripes and looked like a Ferarri in the boat categoria. It was also astonishingly comfortabe with white leather seats, but it wouldn't be too hot in it during the day because it had a moving roof. I'd buy it anytime.  
>And my driver sure loved it. The way he touched the turning wheel reminded me of the way Sydney treated Adrian's mustang. This boat seemed to be the perfect way to spend time for both of us.<br>"I could buy it, you know! If the owner would let me!"  
>Eddie looked at me suprised and slowed down, so the engine went a bit more quiet, back to the point where we could normaly talk.<br>"Jill, you can't just buy a boat. I mean... Sure you can, theoretically, but do you really need one?" His eyes weren't shining anymore, he looked concerned. It was true, I was acting a bit out of my mind lately, but it wasn't that bad... Right?  
>"I didn't say I need one, I just saw how happy you were and how much fun we were having." He was still looking at me with that shadow on his face, even though his expression softened a little bit. I sighed and contined: "Look, all the royals buy stuff they don't need. We'd use this thing every time we'd be here, you know? Like this time."<br>His face became really... Weird, especially when I mentioned the royals.  
>"Jill, I'm worried about you, you know. First that thing in the lobby, don't think I didn't notice. It was actually a very good idea, but definetly NOT you. And now this? You're really acting a bit weird, you know!"<br>I was about to say something. Something in the 'You're just my guardian, don't tell me what to do!' style, but when he saw my face, he calmed down a bit and continued: "I'm not trying to lecture you or anything, I just don't get it. What's going on? This isn't normal. Not for you. You're nothing like those stuck up royals, the fact that you're here with me proves it. Please, just..." He gave me a desperat look, like he doesn't know what else to say.  
>I didn't want to show it, but his words hit me. He was right. What was wrong with me? The whole jelousy thing, and... And buying a boat really wasn't something I'd do.<br>And why did he know me so well? Almost like he could read my mind sometimes. He could read me. He could see trough me. And the way he noticed how jelous I was. How? Why?  
>And the weirdest of all... Even seeing trough me, he still didn't notice that we're meant to be! Come on!<br>"Fine, I won't buy the boat," I said rolling my eyes. "That's not what I... Never mind," he sighed and speeded the boat up again.  
>It was funny, how sometimes he was the only one I needed next to me. We completed eachother, I couldn't be perfect without him. But sometimes we could be eachother's biggest enemy, fighting like little kids. Although I was mad at him, it still felt wrong.<br>Everything was the same as before, but I just couldn't relax anymore. He was right. I was acting nothing like myself, and I had no idea why.  
>Eddie landed the boat at our 'camp' for a second, letting me to get off, since we were driving close anyway. Then he drove it back to the owner to anchor it.<br>Trey and Angeline didn't get very far, so they just returned the boat after the time passed and walked back. Sydney and Adrian, who didn't get a ride, returned soon after we left. They were happily making out for a while when I got off the boat. Everyone else was also doing something on their towels or in the water, so I just joined them.  
>"Hey, you!" a female voice yelled behind me.<br>"Yeah?" I asked.  
>The girl walked towards me. She was a dhampir, a bit older than me and obviously also on vacation. I noticed natives weren't very excited about going to the crouded beach in tiny bikinis, like this girl seemed to be. She had very tanned, probably not naturaly dark skin and platinum blond, almost white pixie cut. There was a small ring in her nose and she looked like a barbie gone bad.<br>"You know that guy you were with in the boat? That dhampir?"  
>Eddie? My heart stopped. Why would she want him?<br>The girl seemed to consider her words while the wheels in my head were spinning. She slapped her forehead and then punched my shoulder in, what, some weird attempt to apologise?  
>"Sorry, sistah, of course you know him if he's driving you around in a boat, huh?" She laughed. "Seriously, I have no idea what I'm saying. I was gonna ask if he's single. I mean, he's goddamn hot!"<br>I smiled politely and considered what to do. I was about to say we're dating, but... That would be a lot like what I did a day before to the girl in reception. I didn't want that, so I decided to tell the truth.  
>"Um, yeah, he's single. For now. But, you see, the thing is... I noticed how hot he is too. We, um, kinda have a thing between us. We're not, you know, together yet, but it's just a question of time." She was staring at me with her eyebrows raised. "I hope," I added.<br>Did I go too far?  
>She stared at me for a little longer and then exclaimed: "Oh, yeah, sure, I get it! I can't believe I didn't think of that! I'm not gonna steal the guy from you! Don't worry, girl, I have my fingers crossed for a hot couple like the two of you!"<br>She jumped up and hugged me, slapped my back and left. I stared behind her with my mouth open.  
>"Wow," I muttered. Then I placed myself on the towel and stared at the stars for a while. That was the way Eddie's eyes sparkled when he was happy. No, his eyes were prettier.<br>It wasn't long before Adrian came down the beach towards me with Sydney. I sat up as soon as I felt him. "Jailbait, we're getting some lunch. You wanna come?" he asked.  
>The bond told me he had another reason to ask me. He was worried because Sydney didn't eat much more than before reeducation, which left her too skinny. I knew it couldn't be good for her, since I could still see all of her ribbs. She wasn't starving herself anymore, but she was used to not eating a lot, so that couldn't change very fast. Adrian assumed it'd be easier for her to eat if she saw more people around her eat. That's where he was hoping me to come in, and of course I couldn't refuse it. The way he cared about her was adorable.<br>And I was hungry.  
>"Sure, I could use some food," I smiled.<br>So, we headed to the hotel buffet restaurant and even managed to find seats on the terrase. It was a hard thing to do at 2 pm, because everyone had lunch around that time. And everyone wanted to eat with a view. Sometimes it really payed off to be royal, even though they didn't kick someone away from their table.  
>Of course I didn't want that.<br>Adrian decided to be a gentleman and get mine and Sydney's lunch besides his own. We told him what we wanted before, but I was sure he was about to bring much more than ordered in an attempt to feed us (Sydney).  
>While waiting I noticed Sydney was looking at me, opened her mouth every once in a while and bit her lip right away. I knew her well to be comfortable with her. She felt the same about me now. We were like sisters.<br>So, that meant I also knew her well enough to realise something was up.  
>"Um, do you have a question or something?" I asked in a cautios tone.<br>"I do, actually," she replied. "What's up with you and Eddie now?"  
>This time I was the one who bit her lip. Sydney pretty much knew all there was to know. Which was also everything I knew. Now she was asking for more and I honestly didn't know what to tell her.<br>"Well," I started carefully, "I like him, he likes me, we both know it, we both admit it, but..."  
>Sydney raised her hand to stop me with a small laugh. "I know the theory. I'm just wondering how come are you not together yet. Yes, I'm not a relationship expert, still, and yet I know this is against all the rules of... Normality. Especially since I sent him back to Amberwood SPECIFICALLY because he loves you!"<br>I sighed. She had a point.  
>And she wasn't done yet: "And I'm really suprised you didn't fix this up. I mean, mostly you and your advice are responsible for Adrian getting over Rose, us ending up together and staying together trough it all, Trey and Angeline accepting their love, now Neil getting the gut to talk to Olive, and from what I've heard you told Mikhail Tanner to just ask Sonya to marry him before she loses her mind and turns into something else on the list of creepy creatures!"<br>Yeah, I was kind of proud of all this. Especially the last one. It sounds more like something Rose or Angeline would do. Luckilly I found a way to delete my image of an innocent goodie goodie. At least with people that mattered. The truth was I wasn't like that for a long time. Being in Adrian's head didn't help the matters.  
>"I am pretty good, huh?" I asked. Sydney smiled. "My point was... All the things you've achieved, so many of them love related, but what about you?"<br>I sighed. "I don't know. You're right. It's like I can advice everyone but myself. And it would be much easier if Eddie wasn't pushing me away."  
>Sydney was about to say something else, but Adrian already came back. As I predicted, he was barely carrying all the unordered stuff he brought us. Sydney frowned. "What about 'the small one' don't you understand?"<br>"Oops. Looks like I'm getting senile," he shrugged. Sydney rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. I hate to break it to you, but you're 22."  
>Adrian shrugged again with a smirk. "Looks like I forgot that too. You can't deny it anymore, can you?"<br>Then we finished our lunch and returned to the beach. "Where were you guys? Without any guardians or anything?" Eddie asked. "Oh, god," I sighed. Was he always that paranoid or it just didn't bother me so much before?  
>"Come on, we just went to get some lunch. You know the whole island is bursting with guardians. Seriously, relax a bit," I said. Eddie bit his lip, looking sorry or maybe almost a bit hurt.<br>"Sorry, I was just worried," he said quietly in a tone that made it almost impossible be stay mad at him. Maybe he still didn't completely recover from our fight earlier. However, I hated to see him like that, so I decided that maybe I had to be the one to relax.  
>Seriously, what was it? What was wrong with me? PMS?<br>"Not funny, universe," I murmured.  
>I placed myself back on the towel, still slightly in a bad mood. The ocean was very relaxing to look at, but there was a storm in me, and it was breaking all the doors without a proper reason.<br>"Hey, Jill, why so down?" someone asked me. I looked up and realised it was Christian. "I don't even know... Is it that obvious?" I said with a small smile. "Well, you're looking at the sea like it killed your whole family on Christmas," he said and made me laugh.  
>"Look, I know what'll cheer you up," he said after a few seconds. I looked at him curious. "Yeah? Bring it on. Impress me."<br>He leaned down closer to me and made the sand under his feet creak. "So, you see that hill over there?" he asked. I followed his gaze and nodded. The ground was lifted just a little bit, barely to be called a hill, but enough not to see what was on the other side. It was covered with bushes, not too big to get trough.  
>"Well," Christian continued, "I've been to the other side like, what, half an hour ago. It's a beach like this one, but it's completely empty. And there are some palm trees, and the sea is pretty close, and it's very spacious..."<br>I was starting to see where he was going with this...  
>"Are you still up for some magic?" he asked.<br>And... I guessed.  
>"Hell yeah! Let's go!"<p>

**I know, not much of a big finish, but I still hope you liked this chapter! The next one's comming up, as mentioned before, really soon. Probably in a day or two. **

**Did you see the book trailers for The Ruby Circle? Antoher one's comming out on Wednesday and the first two totally killed me… I hope writing this story even has a point, because I'm worried there won't be a hapy ending…**

**However, i'll keep writing anyway. As you may have noticed, they're gonna be on vacation for a little while, because first, they deserve it ;) and second, a loooot more still has to happen. I hope you like it – let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**As promised, the new chapter's already here! Thank you for both reviews and follows, again, please, keep going with that :D Okay, so Richelle Mead owns this, and it has spoilers. I'm sorry for mistakes – now check out how Christian ozera gets magic done! ;) Enjoy and please review!**

The beach really was perfect for such things as magic fight practise. Especially since it was practically impossible to do it at Court or any other supervised place with wards or, um, people.  
>"So, you have anything new? Has anything changed? I was stuck at a human school for almost a year, with the only chance to use my powers when they needed me to save their butts. And that only lasted until the guardians got there," I sighed. Christian laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder in sympathy.<br>"Yeah, I have a few new things, Lissa's been trying to make magic fights legal for the people who want that but hasn't succeeded yet. I also have a few new fire spells, like this one," he said and pushed me a bit back. I knew I got myself a show.  
>A huge yellow flame bursted from his hand into the air. He shaped it into all kinds of shapes. A rose. A heart. A butterfly. A beautiful rosette spinning higher and higher in the sky, looking amazing in the dark and changing colors frow yellow to orange, red, purple and even blue. In the end it exploded into the air like a firework.<br>"Wow..." I breathed. It could easily be the only firework display on New Year's Eve.  
>Christian came closer and stroke his arm with a smile. "This was just a bit of a show. I can't fight with it. It does make me more precise, though. I hit the target easily. But you could easily do the same thing with water," he said.<br>"Well, there are some more things I learned that are actually useful," he added and moved away again. He burned one of the bushes with just one move without a huge flame, so efficent it didn't even leave ashes. It was like it was never there.  
>"And then there's this," he said and sent sparks out of his hand. They looked like fireflies, flying around in a tight group and it was obvious he had them completely under control. Then he sprayed them around so they landed on the floor and burned out without making any harm.<br>"These, you can use as pepper spray," he said with a smile. I laughed.  
>"You know what's too bad? I can't do any of this," I sighed. Christian bit his lip. "I know. You're right. But I've been thinking and, frankly, Mia's done most of it. You could do the sparkles thing with ice crystals."<br>"That's an awesome idea!" I exclaimed. "Let me try."  
>I took some water from the sea and removed the salt first. It made it easier to control. Then I froze it, even though it was hard in the hot air. At last I broke the ice and made the crystals fly around like Christian did with sparkles before. It suprised me how hard it was to keep control over them. After a minute or two of directing them around in the air I lost the strenght and they fell on the floor melting.<br>"Ugh, I need some practise," I told Christian. He shook his head. "No, I mean, yes, sure you need practise, but you did amazing! When I first tried... Well, I better not tell you. Let's just say there are a few less trees at Court," he said with a smirk.  
>Braved with his encouragement, I tried the same spell a few more times, but taking the water from the air. It was harder, even though there was lost of humid here. But I knew whenever I was going to have to use spells like this in fights, I probably won't have unlimited sources of water like the sea around. It was just hard switching from one state of matter to another. That's why this spell was so hard, especially in hot weather like this. I was happy to see my skills were slowly improving.<br>"Oh, and I got another idea," Christian said after some time passed. I gave him a curious look.  
>"You know how you can't always get water out of thin air? Especially in cases like Palm Springs or summers in Pennsylvania. Well, isn't human body, like, 40 percent water?" he asked. It was pretty obvious it wasn't just a retorical question.<br>"Been a while since the last time you've had biology, huh?" I asked in a pitying tone. "Isn't it?" he frowned. I laughed. "It's been more than a year," he admitted. My expression didn't change.  
>"Come on! Just tell me!" he laughed. I stared at him with a mean look for a few seconds while he kept begging in joke, until he started to trample.<br>"Alright, alright. Human body is somewhere between 50 and 70 percent of water," I said chuckling. "Wow, I used to know that?"  
>Then I gave him a humorous lesson about paying attention in school and he kept teasing about how "geekish" I got at Amberwood. It lasted until we laughed so hard we couldn't talk anymore.<br>"Wait, what was your point anyway?" I asked him after I caught some breath. "Oh, right, right, we had a point in this conversation," he laughed.  
>"So, since human body is whatever percent of water you said," he gave me a meaningful look and I rolled my eyes, "You can drain the water from the person you're fighting. They can be your source of power, and you weaken your opponent a bit. Or a lot. Not Strigoi, but we both know they aren't the only enemy in our life anymore. You think that could work?"<br>That was actually an amazing idea. I never thought in that direction before. This methode only had pros, no cons.  
>"You're right, I could totally do that. I just can't practise," I said. "Yeah, I really wouldn't volunteer for that... But don't worry, we'll figure something out at Court," Christian told me.<br>Later I also tried the firework thing. Just for fun, to get better control of water, to aim better. It was easier than I expected, probably because water really was quite easy to shape. Fire... Not so much, from what Christian told me.  
>The heart was easy to shape, I even managed to create a rosette and a butterfly and added a few desigs of my own. But the rose was too hard of a nut to crack. It looked more like a helix to me.<br>Christian told me that part was depending more on your artistic skill and that the rose took him quite a time to figure out too, since he 'stunk at art stuff'.  
>It would be amazing to see what Adrian could create.<br>I was kind of suprised when the sun started to rise. It meant that it was already 6 pm and that I spent at least three hours with Christian. It passed like a few seconds.  
>"Guys?" I heard someone shout from the top of the hill. It was Eddie. I quickly smiled and accidentaly dropped the water I was just wielding. It fell directly on me and Christian.<br>Mostly me.  
>The water splashed everywhere and left me soaking wet. I felt all the blood in my body rush into my face. For the first time in my life, I hated water.<br>"Looks like we won't have to shower today," Christian laughed. "You're welcome," I sighed.  
>Eddie came running down the hill. "You two okay?" he asked. He wanted to sound worried and serious, like any guardian should, but I could see he thought it was hilarious.<br>"We're fine. Aren't we?" I asked Christian. "Very freshed up," he smiled.  
>"Good." Eddie was smiling too. It was nice to see doing something so awkward didn't make a fool out of me in his eyes.<br>"I came to tell you we're about to leave. Are you comming?" he asked. I looked at Christian and he nodded.  
>"Looks like that's a wrapp for today," he said. "We did a lot," I agreed.<br>We followed Eddie up trough the bushes. It suprised me I was shaking a little. The water that splashed me before was warm, and now, at night, it felt a bit chilly while drying.  
>Everyone was already packing their stuff, getting ready to leave. I too stuffed my things into the bag I brought with me.<br>"Hey-" I heard behind me and turned around. It was Eddie and he awkwardly wrapped his towell around my shoulders. "I figured you're probably cold," he said with a small grinn. I smiled and looked at the ground, feeling a blush comming up. "Thanks."  
>While walking back to the hotel Rose stepped to the beginning of our line and clapped her hands to catch our attention. "Guys, some girl told me about this awesome restaurant down in the city. They have live music and not everything's coconut and stuff."<br>Looks like she noticed too.  
>"So, I'm gonna go check on it with Dimitri later anyway. Anyone wants to join?" she asked. We all agreed to go. It was almost a bit creepy.<br>The moment I was back in my room with Eddie, I decided to shower and wash my head. The dinner was in two hours and I had just enough time to fix myself up. The salt in my hair and on my skin was annoying.  
>I also wanted to look my best, although I'd probably notice by now if Eddie really cared about the way I looked. I still wanted to wow him.<br>After a refreshing shower with warm water and coconut soap I wrapped myself into one of the hotel towells just enough that I wasn't naked. It was freaking hot in the room. I was just plugging in the hair dryer to dry my hair when...  
>...Eddie walked in.<br>He was, like me, only wrapped into a towell that was covering nothing but the most neccessary. It wasn't helping that I was leaning towards the floor, probably showing him everything there was to show.  
>According to his wide open eyes that was true. "Oh, my god, Jill, I'm so-" he started to say, when I shrieked and, in an automatic reaction, threw the coconut soap into his head.<br>My aim was actually pretty good, because it hit him right in the forehead.  
>"Oh, crap, are you okay?" I exclaimed. He was still standing, which I thought was a good sign.<br>"I'm fine," he said chuckling. "And really, really sorry," he added. "I seriously didn't mean to break in. I thought it was empty."  
>Yeah, that brought the worry from before back. What exactly did he see? And what did he think of it? Not every girl had her guardian crush break into her bathroom accidentally.<br>Well, not every girl was a shadow kissed vampire princess.  
>"It's okay. Maybe next time I should lock myself in," I smirked. I was trying to play calm, when really, there was a hurricane inside me.<br>"Maybe I should trust you about being able to defend yourself. I don't wanna know what would happen if you were armed. Or in real clothes," he said with a small smile.  
>That reminded me I was still wrapped into a towell.<br>"I, um..."  
>"I'll go now," Eddie said and closed the door. He seemed suprisingly calm about this.<br>Oh, man, I couldn't figure guys out. I'd have to ask Adrian about it.  
>Eddie was gone when I returned from the bathroom. It kind of suprised me. I mean, where could he go? I shrugged it off, thinking he probably left tl have a shower in someone else's room.<br>I wanted to wear a dress. I knew that since Rose mentioned the dinner. Luckily, I packed quite a lot of them.  
>I picked a light blue one that reached my mid thigs. It had short sleeves and it floated down gently. I wore it a lot the summer before and kind of loved it because, well, Adrian once said I look good in it. I was all over him back then. Now, I didn't exactly care. But I still loved the dress.<br>By the time I was done, we were already meeting in the lobby. Eddie still didn't come back, so I just went there by myself. Some of them were already there. Mostly guys.  
>And Sydney. Adrian was still in the shower, which always took him quite a while, so he just let Sydney go ahead. But I did feel he was already on his way. Promising.<br>"Hey, have you guys seen Eddie?" I asked. Trey nodded.  
>"Yeah, he came to our room. We told him he can shower after we're both done. That's right now. Angeline's still dressing up," he explained.<br>I frowned. "That's not like her. She didn't hesitate wearing shorts that were smaller than her underwear."  
>He smiled. "Honestly? I don't mind." Christian slapped his shoulder. "I know what you mean," he laughed.<br>I rolled my eyes and pulled Sydney aside. "Guys are weird," I muttered.  
>Adrian, Lissa and Rose came then, all at the same time. I'd think they arranged it if I didn't know better.<br>"Wow, Jailbait! The dress?" he asked. "Yes, the dress," I nodded laughing. "I think it's a holiday or something. First our Queen shows why she's our Queen, then Little Dhampir in a dress after... After way too long, now you in this little sugar-" then his look stopped on Sydney. He caught his breath and the power of what hit him almost knocked me down.  
>"Well, I guess the best's for last, huh?" he breathed. Whatever bullshit he was elaborating on before, I knew this was real. I didn't even notice Sydney's dress until he did.<br>She smiled and he stepped forward to kiss her. The two of them and their feelings always hit me straight in the heart.  
>Well, then something else hit me. It was Eddie.<br>His hair was still wet from the shower and he looked just about perfect in a gray T- shirt and jeans. And he was staring too.  
>I quickly turned away, straight towards Adrian smirking at me. "Damn, you guys are adorable! You should see the look on your face. And his. I bet you're blind to everything but... Well, whatever it is you're staring at," he told me trough the bond. I rolled my eyes. At least he didn't say it out loud.<br>Olive and Angeline joined us in the lobby too, so we headed towards the restaurant.  
>"No, but seriously, what's up with Castile?" Adrian asked me on the way. "I mean, his aura looks like... I don't know, he's afraid of you? No not afraid, more like..." He didn't know the word.<br>I really had to ask him about what happened before, so I decided to tell him. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever that Eddie'd break in, laugh when I hit him with soap and then leave like nothing happened.  
>"He, like you, doesn't know what to say to me?" Adrian snorted as I continued: "Might be because he broke into the bathroom while I was in." He looked at me amused and mostly suprised.<br>"I wasn't naked," I quickly added, knowing he barely believed me. "I was wrapped in a towell."  
>"So, what did you do? What did he do? What happened?" he asked.<br>"Um... I..."  
>Then I realised what actually happened.<br>"Did I really..." I paused in disbelief, leaving Adrian in suprise, "Throw soap... At him?"  
>Adrian bursted out laughing. I rolled my eyes for the second time since we started to talk. "It's not even funny, and yet, he reacted the way you did," I said. "Yeah? How did he laugh? The way I did? Like he can't believe it? The mean way? The nervous way? The creepy way?" I held my hand out in front of him.<br>"Whoa, stop right there. I'm starting to think there are way too many ways to laugh."  
>I looked down and kicked one of the stones lying on the ground. "No, the way he laughed was... Like he thought of something funny. Or just something nice. It was so cute..."<br>Before I noticed, I was staring at the perfect sky, twirling my hair and playing with my dress... I just realised how much I loved the way Eddie laughed before. Or his laugh anytime. It was warm and sweet, kind of restrained, like everything he did. I wanted him to laugh more, to burst out laughing every day, even if it was because of something I did.  
>"Love rules, huh?" Adrian asked gently. I nodded. "Yeah, it really does. And it sucks too."<br>We walked in silence for a while, and then I asked: "So why do you think he reacted the way he reacted? I mean, then he just left like nothing happened... I don't get it."  
>Adrian thought about my words for a while. "Well, you can't know for sure. Maybe he was just suprised. You don't get attacked with soap every day. And for sure you don't see the girl you're madly in love with in the bathroom wearing unsufficient clothes every day!"<br>I sensed he was hinting at something, but didn't realise quite what for a while.  
>"Wait. Are you trying to say he liked it?" I exclaimed. Although it made no sense asking, because I already knew the answer to my question.<br>And really, Adrian looked at me like I'm ridiculous. "Jailbait, of course he liked it. He's a guy. He loves you. You were wrapped in a towell. That's how the world works."  
>It felt weird to admitt it, but he was probably right. I mean, I also liked Eddie shirtless. How could I not?<br>Rose was right, the restaurant really was cool. It had a warm, cozy, but modern effect with wooden cusioned chairs and matching cream carpets and table cloths. The stage for the live music was also made of wood and a probably local band was playing jazz. There were white leather sofas in a corner for the people waiting for their table. The place wasn't crouded when we got there, though, so we got a table right away. Or, well, we put two of them together.  
>The food was also delicious. They had everything I could think of, so I ordered a lasagna. I liked those.<br>We sat there for a while after we were finished with the dinner. Once in between Angeline went to the toilet and came back all excited.  
>"Oh, my god, guys, you gotta check this out!" she shrieked. She was holding a light blue paper that looked like a flier. And she had it wrinkled up well already.<br>"What is this?" Lissa asked.  
>I was curious what was on the paper that Angeline cared so much about. It turned out it was a flier for a band called Smoking Blue. There were four guys in it and Angeline was pointing her finger at the one most in front. I had to admitt he was cute. He wasn't Eddie, but... Cute.<br>Especially his eyes were standing out. They were intense blue, brighter than I've ever seen. I wondered if that's how the band got its name.  
>"Isn't he the hottest guy ever?" Angeline gasped. "Angeline!" I exclaimed, glancing at Eddie. His expression was weird. I couldn't explain it to myself.<br>"Now, Jailbait, he's the jelous one this time," Adrian mind-messaged me, obviously realising my confusion. Sometimes the bond was also very helpful.  
>I was thorn for a second. Just a second.<br>"You can't have all the guys for yourself! Leave me some!"  
>Everyone laughed, but Eddie's smile wasn't geniue. I knew him well enough to see it by now. He'd get over it in minutes, that was for sure. It bothered me more that... I did it again. Made him jelous. That wasn't something I did!<br>"Yeah, I agree with Jill," said Trey. It took me a moment to realise he wasn't talking about whatever was wrong with me.  
>"Remember me, Angie? Your boyfried?" he asked reluctantly. Angeline stroke her arm.<br>"Don't worry, you're my one and only. I just..." She looked at him confused. "Wait, did you just call me Angie? OMG, stop flirting with me!" she exclaimed laughing and pecked his cheeck.  
>I sighed, looking at Eddie again. How could I be so mean to him when something like Trey and Angeline had was all I wanted?<br>"No, but those guys are really good," Olive told us. "They've had a few gigs around for a couple of times before and now I heard they got a record deal. I think you'd like them."  
>Neil wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Cute, he didn't even have to pretend he's yawning.<br>"What kind of music do they play? It sounds interesting," he said. Olive smiled. "Oh, practically everything you can think of. Most of their own songs are pop rock, but they also play covers from any time you can think of, sixties, eighties and today." She looked really excited about it. I was seriously starting to warm up for them.  
>"Ugh, old songs," Rose whined. "Comrade gives me enough of that shit already." Dimitri snorted at that. "Roza, not every song older than you is bad. Olive lived here, she knows what she's talking about."<br>"He's right, they only play like, best of the best. You won't ve sorry," Olive assurred us.  
>"Okay, they sound awesome, I'm going," I said. "You guys decide."<br>"Damn, but he really is cute. I'm gonna give them a chance," Rose said at last. After a few minutes of talking the others also decided, one by one, that they're going to go. Then we went back to the hotel.  
>It was late when I returned to my room, and considering I barely slept last night since Eddie was there, I wanted to go straight to bed. But while I was waiting for him to get out of the bathroom (it had no use going to sleep knowing he was about to come in), I found an interesting movie on that awesome TV. Eddie joined me watching it, so we stayed up for about two more hours. It was a comedy and my wish from before came true; Eddie laughed until he almost cried. So did I, of course.<br>We really did go to bed after the movie was over. Or, at least we intended to. I just wanted to pick up a glass of water from the mini fridge, when everything went black.

I was probably only out for a second. My head suprisingly didn't hit the floor, because Eddie caught me in a blink of an eye.  
>The room was still spinning, maybe a bit because of Eddie's touch. I didn't know what even happened, and according to his expression, my brave protector didn't either.<br>"Jill, are you okay?" he asked. I looked at him with a loose smile and nodded.  
>Then I realised.<br>"Damn it! Adrian!"  
>I stumbled to my bed and stepped into Adrian's mind. He was actually asleep, with Sydney laying on his chest, but it felt like his whole body was on fire, and not in the good, passionate kind of way. The reason for that could be found in his latest memories.<br>So, it turned out about an hour ago Adrian got the idea to also go to the beach in daytime. Sydney agreed to it, which suprised me. Did they both forget Moroi can't stand much sun? Especially at 12 am? Okay, I honestly believed Adrian was capable of doing something so reckless, but Sydney? Weird! Irrisponsible!  
>Of course Adrian's body was, except from the part Sydney was covering, covered with sunburns. Bad ones. He was sweating hard, and if he got up, he'd surely feel just as dizzy as I did. He probably couldn't even walk to the hotel on his own. The worst part was that he still didn't know that.<br>I opened my eyes and saw Eddie sitting next to me worried. Worried about me, obviously.  
>"Oh, Eddie, you need to go help Adrian," I cried.<br>"What... Is he okay?"  
>I sighed. "He fell asleep in the sun." Eddie snorted in disbelief. "That does sound like him!" Then he snapped back to serious again. "Damn, that's why you were all limp and stuff! He's gotta be burned!"<br>"Yes, and that's why I need you to go out there and help him!" I begged him with my eyes. If I wasn't all 'limp', I'd totally do it myself. He did save my life. But now I relied on Eddie.  
>"Sure, I'll do it. Just..." He looked reluctant. "Are you gonna be okay? You need something?"<br>I stroke my arm. "Yeah, yeah, I'll eventually get to the fridge and get that water. I'll be fine. But Adrian won't if we don't do something soon. So go, go!" I waved my hand to chase him out and fell back on the pillow, watching him leave.  
>Worried and with nothing better to do, I jumped into Adrian's head again. It really was a nice feeling, lying on the hot sand, hot sun was stroking his skin, Sydney's hand was tangled in his hair, they were just enjoying eachother. If I wasn't so worried for his health, I'd be sorry to bother them. The temptingness of such an opportunity was understanding. Sometimes I just wished I was human.<br>Adrian's peaceful state was interupted when someone punched his shoulder lightly. He opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Eddie. If it happened to me, I wouldn't mind waking up one bit.  
>"Castile? What's up?" he asked in a sleepy voice. The sun was blinding him. He still didn't realise it was hurting more than just his sight.<br>"What's going on?" Sydney muttered, trying to sit up. One of them was more sleepy than the other.  
>"You guys fell asleep on the sun," Eddie said patiently. "Oh, fu... No! How could I be so stupid?" Sydney exclaimed.<br>"I don't get it," Adrian said confused. He was all blurry, but he thought it was just because he just woke up. Also, he felt his skin burning now. He, although, didn't realise why.  
>"Seriously?" Sydney looked at him in disbelief. "Sun? Moroi? Sunburns? You look red like a lobster!"<br>Adrian thought for a second. Then he finally managed to clear his mind.  
>"I... Oh, I get it! Yeah, I should probably get out of here," he smirked.<br>"You're just like... Way too calm about this," Eddie snorted.  
>Adrian got up on his feet finally and almost fell immediatelly. His knees were weak, of course not from the same reason as mine when I saw Eddie. In fact, the same thing that happened to me before was happening. Except that he didn't faint, because he caught himself on Sydney's shoulder.<br>"Whoa, can you even walk?" Eddie asked with visible concern in his eyes and, well, aura. Man, Adrian was never gonna change. Barely standing, and using spirit. I smiled to myself.  
>In twice as much time as normally and with slight help from Sydney and Eddie Adrian eventually made it to his hotel room and threw himself on the bed. It hurt him because of the sunburns. A lot. But he refused to show it. I had to smile again.<br>Sydney gave him a piercing look. Eddie was still there, also looking at him. Adrian didn't have a clue what they both wanted, but he thought it was hilarious.  
>"You guys okay?" he asked amused. "Adrian, you can't stay like this. You have to... Call Lissa. Or something," Sydney said in concern.<br>Adrian sighed. "Yeah, you're right."  
>He picked up his phone and dialed Lissa's number. It rang quite a few times before she answered. In the middle of the night, they were lucky she was even awake.<br>"Adrian? Sure, who else in the middle of the night," Lissa softly laughed.  
>"Hey, cousin," Adrian replied. "Listen a need a small, small favor."<br>"Oh, let me guess! You fell asleep on the sun and need me to heal you" she said.  
>"You're psychic, aren't you?" Adrian asked.<br>Lissa entered the room only a minute or two later.  
>"Holy crap, Adrian, I can't believe you!" she exclaimed.<br>"I know, right," he said with a grinn. "It's hard to admit I look awesome even lobster red."  
>Lissa rolled her eyes smiling and reached her hand forward to heal him. I already knew the amazing feeling when someone used spirit on you. Adrian did too. It was like the endorphins from a Strigoi bite, except better, because you were aware of yourself perfectly. Every time I felt spirit, I felt respect for it and for all those rare people wielding it. If it wasn't for it, I'd be dead.<br>It was worth it, getting Adrian out of trouble anytime he got into it. I knew I have nothing at whine about. He was the way he was. I loved him for it, and even that careless part of him was a big part of what saved my life.  
>Also, I knew I'd help him anyway. And he'd help me. He'd always be there for me, by my side. He was my best friend; we could rely on eachother.<br>Adrian wanted to text me something, even when he knew I was in there. So I picked up my phone and overtook him.  
>Yes, it was me, I wrote. How did you even- I added, but then deleated. I knew he just let everything go.<br>Thanks, Jailbait. I owe you, he replied.  
>No, I texted back, you don't. I'll owe you for the rest of my life.<br>Baby you prevented me becoming roast beef. I think we're either, he answered. I smiled.  
>Good night, you grill meat, I sent.<br>Night, he wrote with a smiley face.  
>Then Eddie came back to the room. "Now I really think we should go to bed," he told me. "Mhm, you're right. It's late."<br>I watched the view of him getting ready to slip under the bed covers when a thought hit me.  
>"Did I really make you go outside in boxers?" I asked. He laughed. "Yup, looks like you did."<br>"Sorry?" I said with what I hoped was an impossible-to-be-mad-at face.  
>"Oh, don't worry. No one saw me, and I didn't even notice myself until you mentioned."<br>I shrugged and closed my eyes.  
>"Jill?" he asked a few minutes later. I sat up in bed and yawned. "Yeah?"<br>"Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?" He slapped his forehead. "I'm so sorry, just go back to sleep-"  
>I stopped him: "Damn, Eddie, let a girl answer!" He smiled as I continued: "No, I wasn't asleep yet. If I was, you wouldn't be able to wake me up."<br>We stared at eachother for a little bit.  
>"You were saying?" I finally asked.<br>He didn't seem to know how to say it. He opened his mouth and closed it for a few times, looking for the right words. Damn, did I even want to know this?  
>"How is it... You know, to have the bond?" he stuttered at last.<br>I didn't know how to answer at first, and he looked like he thought the question insulted me or something, because he started to talk again: "You know, I'm just wondering. Since I saw the way it affected you, and I thought it'd be better if I knew. It was kind of my fault and-"  
>I just kept interupting today, didn't I?<br>"Eddie, it was not your fault! Why do you blame yourself for everything that happens? A Strigoi attack, a group of rebel Moroi attack, being a PERSON! Would you stop?" I exclaimed.  
>"Okay, okay. Sorry. Don't get upset. I just wish I'd react faster back then," he said. "So, uh, how is it?"<br>I sighed and considered my next words.  
>"How is it to have the bond? Sometimes its great. Its great to know you have someone who loves you enough to bring you back from death no matter how hard it was for him. Its great to escape from your own trouble into someone else's head. But sometimes our minds mix up and I don't know where do I stop and where does he start anymore. He feels stronger than I do already, so I just don't feel like myself from time to time. I get so confused. And it's so weird, whenever he feels all those private things even he doesn't want to know, and I don't want to be there, but I don't have a choice, because it's so strong, so powerful... He thinks he's going crazy; how do you think I feel?"<br>And suddenly, I felt tears stinging in my eyes. But it felt shockingly good. I was relieved, like all the weight of holding it in was off my shoulders. Now I knew why all those people said how conversation helps. Eddie got me and he wanted to listen. I wanted to speak up for so long, but I never realised it.  
>"I'll never keep it inside for so long anymore," I promised myself in my mind.<br>"Jill..."  
>Eddie's eyes were on me, filled with regret. He saw the tears that were comming up, and he was really sorry he even mentioned anything. But now when I started, I had to go on.<br>"And when spirit gets to him. It's choking him, and it's choking me as well. He can't sleep, and I wake up in the middle of the night... The effects... They're horrible. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go trough it. Sometimes drinking helps him. But the hangovers are the worst. Only Sydney can really make it better. But... It's so awkward, when they kiss, or even more, and I feel like an intruder... It's an incredible feeling. The love their relationship posseses. It's just that I'm not a part of it!"  
>I was already choking with the next words I said.<br>"I just want him to be happy! Both of them! But sometimes it's so hard..."  
>Then I bursted into tears. Again, I didn't know who was expressing the feelings. I realised Adrian could use talking to someone too.<br>Well, actually it was too late for that. I haven't seen spirit effects for a long time now.  
>Eddie ran over the room when I started to sobb and climed into my bed. He wrapped his hand around my shoulder and pressed me closer to him. That's when I knew the tears were mine. I felt his body next to mine, I was too aware of my own reality. Eddie was so warm and supple and comforting...<br>I loved him, maybe even more than ever, but it was one of the rare moments when I didn't want to kiss him, although he was closer to me than he's ever been before and my heart responded to his closeness just as powerfully as was behind the line. That's where I wanted him to stay.  
>In that moment Eddie was my friend. And a small part of me deep inside realised that was also a reason I loved him and a reason why it'll hurt even more when he'll start to hold his distance again.<br>I sobbed loudly, making him press me closer again. He even kissed my forehead gently, and I lay my head on his chest.  
>"What's wrong with me? Really?" I asked. He sighed. "I have no idea."<br>"You know what the worst part is?" He looked at me, tilting his head.  
>"Like, half an hour ago I was thinking all about how happy I am he brought me back and how the bond doesn't even matter. How I'll be just fine, how it's a small price for being alive."<br>I almost choked down with a weep again, and then took a deep breath. Eddie gave me an ecouraging look.  
>"And it is! It is a small price," I continued. "I'm absolutely happy to be alive and I realise what a risk he took. I just... I... I don't know."<br>I gave him a desperat look.  
>"You were right. I'm nothing like myself lately. Just... What is this?"<br>Eddie took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.  
>"I don't know," he said. "But we'll get trough it. Together."<br>I dug my face into his chest with a sigh.  
>We stayed like that, with no need to move. My sobbing calmed down soon with him whispering comforting words into my ear. His warm voice was stroking my ears. Even though it started with crying, it was the most pleasant position I was in for a while.<br>It wasn't long until I fell asleep - in his arms.

**Okay, I'm sorry, I myself am in love with this last part. I melted while writing it. And OMG they're sleeping in the same bed! Does anything happen? I guess you won't find out before the next chapter… Which, no matter how corny it is, I hope to post on Valentine's Day… Or maybe even on February 10th.**

**Oh, my god, the new trailer! I just… Like… Have no words. Love wll conquer all? I hope so.**

**However, please review, and the next chapter's comming up.**


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